Every once in a while, I like to Google Anthony Scaramucci aka “The Mooch”, and see what he’s been up to. Why? Because it still delights me that his tenure as Donald Trump’s Director of Communications could be measured in hours and not months. So, it is with joy in my heart that I share with you that The Mooch is trying to take down Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Now make no mistake, Scaramucci is still on the side of evil and chaos. However, think of him like an annoying mosquito buzzing around the Trump campaign, and you’ll better understand why this is actually very funny.
Ever since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (the heir apparent to Trump’s throne) has resoundingly tanked in the polls, I’ve been wondering who will become the prized backup if/when Trump goes to prison for his crimes. Which crimes? I don’t know, take your pick. He’s been indicted a lot lately. Leave it to Scaramucci to give us signs of where the GOP might be headed. And when you find out who the supposed frontrunner is, you’ll realize they’re pretty much out of options. Per CNN:
“Anthony Scaramucci and a GOP megadonor who paid for luxury trips for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas are among the donors to the super PAC supporting former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s 2024 presidential bid.”
Yes, that’s right, The Mooch and Clarence Thomas’s sugar daddy Harlan Crow are backing former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for president via their super PAC donation record for the first half of 2023. Never thought I’d string all of those words together to form a sentence, but this is the Republican party we’re talking about. So why should I be surprised? Remember, Trump fired Christie as the head of his transition team when he won in 2016 and refused to give him a cabinet position. Even though Christie said he did (Narrator’s voice: He probably didn’t.)
Both Scaramucci and Crow donated $100,000 to Christie’s super PAC, and they weren’t the only ones. The Federal Election Commission released the first half of this year’s data on super PAC donations. Chris Christie’s aligned super PAC essentially raised $6 million in a month. Per the above article:
“The Tell It Like It Is PAC reported receiving nearly $5.9 million in the first half of 2023, according to a report it filed Monday with Federal Election Commission. Monday marks the deadline for political committees to file financial reports covering the first half of the year.
The Christie-aligned PAC only reported receiving contributions between May 30 and June 30 in this filing. Christie formally announced his presidential campaign on June 6.”
Am I the only one wondering how to get on the dumb Republican donor mailing list, so I too can raise $6 million for merely existing via super PAC? Is there a secret LinkedIn group I can join for that? I mean, if Citizens United is going to destroy the fabric of our democracy by allowing this to happen, I might as well reap some of the benefits, right?
If you’re wondering, Trump’s campaign is operating in the negative for the same period: He’s only raised $14.6 million via super PACs but has spent $38 million so far. Probably because he’s using the funds to pay for his legal defense. Let this be further proof that rich people are not inherently smarter than anyone else. If you’re donating your money to Trump’s campaign, you’d be better served just lighting it on fire at this point.
Back to the point at hand, Christie could be the canary in the coal mine because “Meatball Ron” DeSantis still raised the most money during this period via super PACs. Per CNN:
“Never Back Down Inc., the super PAC backing DeSantis’ presidential campaign, brought in a whopping $130 million in the first six months of 2023, according to a new FEC filing. However, most of that fundraising comes from a different PAC and a single donor.
Empower Parents PAC, which used to be DeSantis’ state political committee, contributed $82.5 million, and Robert Bigelow, the wealthy hotel magnate and space entrepreneur, donated more than $20 million. Those two contributions alone make up more than 78% of Never Back Down’s total receipts.”
Again, I reiterate that the Citizens United Supreme Court decision in 2010 is why some rich a-hole is allowed to funnel tens of millions of dollars to a single candidate via a super PAC. It will be interesting to see the next round of campaign donation data because this period covers January 1 through June 30th, 2023, and Meatball Ron is absolutely tanking in the polls. Will people this one person keep throwing money at DeSantis, or will more big donors gravitate to Chris Christie? Will Trump lead the pack or will rich donors desert him?
Time will tell, but based on The Mooch, Christie’s campaign might see an upswing in the coming months.
(via CNN, featured image: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
