Hosting this fall’s gathering so soon after the election risked turning the summit into a wake.

It was the opposite.

Even before the event officially began, Ms. #Wiles was in Las Vegas,
headlining an outdoor Saturday dinner at a steakhouse for about 30 Rockbridge donors and friends.

Around the jubilant open bars and music-filled ballrooms, attendees openly traded notes on what Trump administration roles they might get
and debated whether Mr. #Musk was the world’s most powerful person.

“Generally everyone at Rockbridge was very happy that technologists and politicians are working together directly again
and not openly hostile toward each other,”
said #John #Coogan, the co-founder of Soylent who attended.

“It’s no longer a question of whether technology will drive the future, but how we guide its impact.
So it makes sense that tech billionaires and the political elite are partying together.”

Mr. #Vance did not attend, a rare absence and a disappointment to some loyalists.

But his victory made Rockbridge suddenly a hot ticket and spurred some last-minute sign-ups.

After sometimes letting prospective members attend for just $5,000, Rockbridge raised the minimum cost to $25,000
(although some people said privately that they had been able to get in for less).

The cost of Rockbridge membership ranges from $100,000 to be a “limited partner”
to $1,000,000 for a “principal partner,”
according to a prospectus seen by The Times.

That money goes toward the eight vehicles that Rockbridge steers,
including four dark-money 501(c)(4) organizations,
two super PACs,
a donor-advised 501(c)(3) fund for nonprofit activity
and the Rockbridge Network umbrella organization,
an L.L.C. Mr. Buskirk’s main super PAC, "Turnout for America", has raised at least $25 million this year.

These eight Rockbridge groups have primarily run get-out-the-vote operations.

One, called "Faithful in Action", claims to have 160,000 members
and organizes small churches with field teams twice a week.

The group has no public presence.

Rockbridge groups have also produced documentaries that investigate prosecutors pursuing cases against Mr. Trump.

Rockbridge, according to the prospectus, has since 2020 “underwritten” polling “that has been made available for free to allied media organizations.”

And the group has helped pay for
“local and national investigations” that are “published by aligned media outlets.”

Attendees, with white-and-red gift bags and lanyards, knew to be closelipped when approached by hotel interlopers
or by the Times reporter, who was not invited to the closed-press festivities.

But a copy of the agenda listed remarks by several tech billionaires, including the Anduril co-founder #Palmer #Luckey and the venture capitalist #Marc #Andreessen, who spoke about his support for deregulating technology
and the mixed reaction in Silicon Valley to his endorsement of Mr. Trump, according to attendees.

There were tech up-and-comers, too:
Donald Trump #Jr. announced at the welcome dinner that he was entering venture capital.

And days before the president-elect chose Robert F. #Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary,
Mr. Kennedy spoke extensively about his public-health work to a standing ovation.

Ms. #Wiles also led a session on “2024 Election Analysis,” where she gave a preview of Mr. Trump’s first days as president.

“It’s the domestic ‘Davos in the desert,’” said the Rockbridge backer #Omeed #Malik, referring to the annual business conference in Riyadh, and Donald Trump Jr.’s new business partner.

➡️Rockbridge began with more humility.

Back in 2019, Mr. #Vance, then best known as the author of “Hilbilly Elegy,” and a conservative media figure named #Chris #Buskirk began informally hosting a series of small dinners
that would eventually become called Rockbridge.

The group drew early support from the venture capitalist #Peter #Thiel and eventually caught the attention of Donald J. Trump, who spoke at a few meetings.

Once in the fall and once in the spring, Rockbridge began to gather at places like the Four Seasons in Palm Beach, Fla.,
or the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas for three days of political panels and business networking.

Speakers included people like #Tucker #Carlson; the Thiel protégé #Blake #Masters; the casino mogul #Steve #Wynn; the investor #David #Sacks; and #Woody #Johnson, the billionaire owner of the New York Jets.

Not all attendees have politics at the top of their mind.

Some are primarily interested in business, seeing Rockbridge as a conservative-tinged version of the elite Sun Valley conference.

#RockbridgeNetwork #RebekahMercer #ElonMusk #KenHowery #LukeNosek

JD #Vance Campaign Event With Christian Right Leaders May Have Violated #Tax and #Election Laws, Experts Say
—

#Ziklag and the Courage Tour, the far-right groups that hosted the #Republican vice-presidential nominee, are charities that can’t legally intervene in #political campaigns.

propub.li/3UeH7LU

#News #Politics #USPolitics #Election2024 #JDVance #ChristianRight #FarRight #Law #Trump #Nonprofit

Vance Event With Ziklag, Courage Tour May Have Violated Tax, Election Laws

Ziklag and the Courage Tour, the far-right groups that hosted the Republican vice-presidential nominee, are charities that can’t legally intervene in political campaigns.

^ProPublica