How to stay rich

A 500-page disclosure of financial contributors to the Trump/Pence inauguration costs was filed with the Federal Election Commission on April 18. That’s three months after the inauguration itself.

Inaugural contributions are another of the ways big givers curry favor in D.C.

The largest contribution this year—and reportedly the largest known inaugural contribution ever—came from Nevada billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who ponied up $5 million for Trump’s party, an amount he could afford after withdrawing his promise of $650 million to build a Raiders stadium in Las Vegas.

Also contributing was Las Vegas casino exec Steve Wynn, who gave a mere $729,217, though his was an in-kind contribution of entertainment through his Wynn Resorts Ltd.

After the second inauguration of George W. Bush, NBC reporter Lisa Myers gave a report on the Nightly News about mostly corporate money that paid for a $40 million inaugural celebration. Her report also contained a statement from Nevada’s Jim Gibbons, then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Gibbons said that “Anybody who is against that [corporate inaugural contributions] obviously must be a communist.”

A Gibbons spokesperson later said the Gibbons comment had been taken out of context, that he had offered a lengthier comment that said anyone in the U.S. should have the right to spend their money the way they want.