Republican Donor Cuts Off The GOP’s Cash Until They Support Assault Weapons Ban

The blue wave is taking shape as the country assesses the damage from the Putin-backed White House to the assault weapons stalking our citizens as they do innocent things like attend concerts or school.

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Close Bush family friend Al Hoffman, a prominent Republican donor who was a lead fund-raiser for George W. Bush and worked furiously to raise money for John McCain, announced that he refuses to give Republicans any more money until they support a ban on assault weapons to civilians, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

“For how many years now have we been doing this — having these experiences of terrorism, mass killings — and how many years has it been that nothing’s been done? It’s the end of the road for me,” Hoffman said in an interview reported by Alexander Burns.

Hoffman made his announcement in an email, in which he wrote that he would not give money to Governor Rick Scott or any other Florida Republicans if they did not support new gun legislation.

“I will not write another check unless they all support a ban on assault weapons,” he wrote. “Enough is enough!”

How big of a deal is this?

Well, in 2016, the Washington Post declared in an analysis of federal campaign finance reports, “Close to half of all super-PAC money comes from 50 donors.” Mr. Hoffman, a former ambassador to Portugal, was mentioned in this April of 2016 report, although it was for the $1 million he gave to Bush’s “Right to Rise.”

Mr. Hoffman is no Trump fan, writing in an USA Today editorial, “While this will probably not endear me to many voters, I spent this election fundraising for former Florida governor Jeb Bush. I put up a considerable amount from my own wallet and raised several million more for his super PAC…

Trump brags that he is without big donors. That may be true. But it also means he is without restraint. He is free to agitate and feed chaos. In business and politics alike, oversight is a good thing. It keeps the ship in calmer waters.”

Mr. Hoffman closed with what is now an ironic turn of phrase, “Political donations are like a firearm. Money can advance both justice and injustice. It depends on whose finger is on the trigger.”

Sarah Jones

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