Bellevue man donates $1 million to Trump super PAC

BELLEVUE, Wash. — A Bellevue man donated $1 million to a Political Action Committee (PAC) that supports Donald Trump just a day after he became a convicted felon.

According to a new Federal Election Commission filing, wealth manager Walter P. Schlaepfer made the donation to Make America Great Again, LLC on May 31.

It was the single largest pro-Trump contribution from Washington state in May.

As a Super PAC, MAGA, LLC can raise unlimited money for campaigns and spend it freely to support Trump, but it is barred from coordinating directly with presidential campaigns.

Schlaepfer’s donation was first reported by The Seattle Times.

According to his blog, “Schlaepfer is a Seattle-area wealth manager, and securities broker who has worked with numerous ultra-affluent clients throughout his decades-long career as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch.”

Trump and the Republican National Committee reported this week that they raised $141 million in May together, much of it in the final two days of the month when Trump became the first former U.S. president to face a criminal conviction, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Federal Election Commission filings show President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised $85 million during the same period.

Trump was convicted of falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg would not say Thursday whether prosecutors intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge — who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations — would impose that punishment even if asked.

Trump faces three other felony indictments, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election, adding to the significance of the outcome. Though the legal and historical implications of the verdict are readily apparent, the political consequences are less so given its potential to reinforce rather than reshape already hardened opinions about Trump.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.

©2024 Cox Media Group