By Jeremy Portnoy of RealClearInvestigations
Prime line: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted $890,000 in marketing campaign contributions from staff, together with C-suite executives ÂA brand new report from OpenTheBooks discovered that there have been 434 state-owned suppliers between 2019 and 2022.
The businesses collected practically $15 billion in funds from the state between 2019 and 2023, in keeping with the State Checkbook.
Key details: The donations have been all directed towards Walz’s re-election marketing campaign as Minnesota governor and have been made earlier than he turned the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
Donors embrace CEOs, presidents and different senior executives from 86 state-owned suppliers.
Marketing campaign data present staff on the legislation agency Blackwell Burke donated $4,750 to Walz’s gubernatorial marketing campaign and acquired practically $200,000 every from the state. Co-founder Jerry Blackwell was one of many prosecutors who helped convict Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd.
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Ted Mondale, director of recent enterprise growth and authorities relations for laptop consulting agency Atomic Knowledge, donated $2,250 to Walz. His firm acquired one other $169,311 from the state. Mondale is a former Democratic state senator and the son of former U.S. Sen. Walter Mondale of Minnesota, who additionally served as Jimmy Carter’s vp.
Kinsale Communications acquired $160,583 in state payouts, despite the fact that no on-line data of the enterprise exist. President Steve Kinsella and his household donated $3,000 to Walz’s marketing campaign.
Different Walz marketing campaign donors who’ve acquired nationwide enterprise embrace Goal, Common Mills, Fortune 500 manufacturing firm 3M and financial institution chains akin to Wells Fargo and U.S. Financial institution.
background: It’s practically not possible to find out which transactions, if any, symbolize precise conflicts of curiosity.
The Minnesota Checkbook comprises solely greenback values ​​and lists of corporations that obtain state funds. Whereas close by states like Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota are extra clear, the state ignored OpenTheBooks’ freedom of knowledge requests for particulars about every transaction.
As of December 31, 2023, Walz completed his re-election marketing campaign with greater than $627,000 money available. The individual returned the cash to the presidential ticket.
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Abstract: Many Minnesota distributors might obtain state enterprise even with out donating to Walz’s marketing campaign — but when anybody will get preferential therapy, taxpayers ought to learn about it.
#WasteOfTheDay is delivered to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
Syndicated with permission from RealClearWire.
