Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, wife gave $500K to Trump campaign's legal defense fund

Source: ABC

A legal defense fund set up to help President Donald Trump's aides caught up in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election received half a million dollars from casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam Adelson, a new report filed late Thursday shows.

The Patriot Legal Expense Fund Trust has been raising money since it was established in February 2018. The contributions from the Las Vegas couple are the largest to date.

Adelson and his wife have long been prolific donors to Republican candidates and causes. They have given nearly $500,000 to Trump's fundraising committee and $30 million to pro-Trump super PACs since he became a candidate, according to campaign finance records. Trump in November bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the national's highest civilian honor, on Miriam Adelson.

Set up to help pay legal bills for any Trump campaign employee, consultant, fundraiser or volunteer questioned in the Mueller probe, excluding Trump family members, the Patriot Fund has received big checks from a handful of prominent Trump campaign donors, including $150,000 from recycling mogul and Mar-a-Lago member Anthony Lomangino, $100,000 from Beverly Hills real estate developer Geoffrey Palmer, $50,000 from longtime Trump associate Phil Ruffin, and $25,000 from Continential Resources CEO Harold Hamm, the report showed.

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