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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.”
The Winklevoss twins, Rebekah Mercer, allies of Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr. and top Trump campaign aides recently joined a conclave of right-wing donors who are suddenly flush with power.
Just four days after being named the next White House chief of staff,
Susie Wiles was waiting patiently for an espresso drink at a five-star hotel in Las Vegas.
Overnight, she had become one of the most powerful people in America.
The value of a minute of her time could not be higher during the presidential transition:
Republican strivers are hounding her for desirable gigs,
and back at Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Donald J. Trump has kept courting controversy with his picks.
Yet here she was thousands of miles away, flanked only by a security guard,
alone in line at a Four Seasons coffee shop.
She had just peeled off from lunch with other top Trump campaign officials,
including her fellow campaign manager, Chris LaCivita;
the pollster Tony Fabrizio;
and the campaign’s fund-raising chief, Meredith O’Rourke.
“We’re all just chilling,” one member of the startled Trump entourage joked aloud when alerted that they had been spotted by a nearby New York Times reporter as they walked through the hotel.
What demanded the dayslong presence of all these Trumpworld figures during some of the most important weeks of their careers?
♦️The fall gathering of a secretive group of wealthy tech executives and their allies who have ascended swiftly within the Republican Party’s donor class: ♦️the #Rockbridge #Network.
The group, which was co-founded five years ago by JD Vance,
sprouted from an informal set of dinners into a powerful coalition of Republican donors who have
given more than $100 million to Rockbridge projects since 2019, according to a person close to the group,
helping lead Silicon Valley’s march to the right.
For Rockbridge, Mr. Vance’s election as vice president was a crowning achievement
— and a tantalizing opportunity to wield new national influence.
But Rockbridge has largely kept its activities stealthy,
mindful of how groups of wealthy conservatives like the Koch Network have drawn attacks from both liberal detractors and Republican wannabes.
As caravans of black S.U.V.s shuttled in the billionaires from their private jets last week, members of the Rockbridge roster could be spotted around the hotel: #Rebekah #Mercer, the scion of one of the most prolific Republican donor families, greeted well-wishers in the lobby.
Working the happy-hour scene at the hotel bar were two close friends of #Elon #Musk’s
— #Ken #Howery and #Luke #Nosek, whose time with Mr. Musk at PayPal made them megawealthy themselves.
JHC
Politico:
Elon #Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is calling for volunteers to send in their résumés — via X direct message.
I’m in the car on the way to Oregon, so bear with me. My posts/replies efforts are more difficult.
Someone please add alt text?
#Musk
In my opinion it was always the goal to destroy this successful free speech platform and transform it with the help of foreign investors into a controlled tool for propaganda and manipulation.
And you know what, it worked as we can see now. 44 billion well spent…
Worrying…
#uspolitics #trump #misinformation #manipulation #propaganda #musk
😫#Trump said on Tuesday Elon #Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek #Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency.
Musk and Ramaswamy "will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies," Trump said in a statement.
jpost.com/breaking-news/articl…
Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to lead Department of Government Efficiency
Trump said their work would conclude by July 4, 2026, adding that a smaller government would be a "gift" to the country on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.By REUTERS (The Jerusalem Post)
👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
Via Kyle Griffin:
#Trump says he's naming Elon #Musk and Vivek #Ramaswamy to lead an outside-of-government group called the Department of Government Efficiency to slash regulations and "restructure" agencies.
Governmental spending decisions are up to Congress and the president — not outside groups.
⬆️ @GhostOnTheHalfShell @economics-that-works @Npars01
>> there has to competition between Bezos and Musk with respect to aerospace subsidies.
#Bezos will eat #Musk alive. The last-moment surprise withholding of #WAPO editorial endorsement for #KamalaHarris was a shrewd move to get a seat at the table.
Musk has no idea he will be swimming with alpha sharks, not all friendly.
#Musk lobbied Trump to put Vance on the ticket. He was the one funding the get-out-the-vote effort -turned X into a black hole of anti-immigrant agitprop -going to be given the keys to the dom. discretionary budget, fed budget, to find $2T in cuts from just $1.7T in discretionary spending.
Vance was the headliner at a rally over the weekend, but Musk was a star in absentia -organizers swarmed the line outside to collect data for Musk's PAC.
#USPol #Billionaires #Oligachy motherjones.com/politics/2024/…
American billionaires have long placed their thumbs on the scale of democracy—but never like this.
Welcome to the oligarch election.Mother Jones
ICYMI:
#Maddow looks at the role #Musk is playing in #Trump's campaign, as well as the important role he plays in US nat sec matters & his unnervingly close relationship w #Putin & other US adversaries. If #Harris wins the presidency, Musk's allegiances will be a tricky national security mess to clean up. But if #Trump wins, the entire global power balance could shift as Musk asserts his influence on Trump to partner more closely with #Russia, #China, and #NorthKorea.
youtu.be/sTRNjvWUCBk?feature=s…
Musk's influence on Trump: A national security mess at best, a global power realignment at worst
Rachel Maddow looks at the role Elon Musk is playing in Donald Trump's campaign, as well as the important role he plays in U.S. national security matters, an...YouTube
apnews.com/article/4f683c48eb7…
Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes can proceed
A Pennsylvania judge has ruled that Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes can continue through Tuesday’s presidential election.MARYCLAIRE DALE (AP News)
TRUMP CRIME FAMILY
Elon Musk’s Genius Lawyer Admits His $1 Million Lottery Is Total Scam
The only person dumber than Elon Musk is his lawyer in the lottery case.
#AureFreePress #News #press #headline #GOP #Politics #uspolitics #uspol #Trump #BreakingNews #Breaking #Musk #Twitter #x #Fediverse
Emptywheel quote-tweeted Musk, which I love her for.
BREAKING: Elon says the FAA should release all its information about where his jet flies, and Walter Reed should release the #Trump health information he refuses to release.
Elon #Musk:
@ elonmusk
There should be no need for FOIA requests. All government data should be default public for maximum transparency
@Npars01
So after writing this 👆 last night...
An article appeared this morning in Guardian about the election being in the hands of the #oligarchs. They are the ones pulling the strings on Puppet Trump who is their #VeryUsefulIdiot.
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
#RJK #Murdoch #Bezos et al all on the phone to him "persuading" him to do their bidding for their particular area of influence: oil coal media pharma finance tech ...
And there, at the top of the pile, with his batteries, cars, X, Space-X and direct phoneline to Putin, is #Musk. Grinning his stupid grin, jumping his stupid jumps, waving his stupid waves.
Hes ready to join a Trump government in charge and in control of industry cutbacks (of course he is) But remember he's also in charge of a space programme that can control satellites that control the function of global business and finance. He can shut us down and shut businesses out at any time he wishes.
And Musk's next big foray will be into AI - so he won't need little ppl on production lines. And if he's working with Putin he won't need #Trump or the American Constitution.
#usapol #usafascistshitshow #usapolitcs #TrumpIsALaughingStock #globalpolitics #oligarchy
Trump may become president again – but he’s already a useful idiot to the mega rich
They make nice with him when it suits, ridicule him when he’s not listening. Their lives are money and gossip – with him they get both, says Guardian columnist Marina HydeMarina Hyde (The Guardian)
#Musk wants to rule USA by proxy.
He had clear delusions of grandeur and will become way to powerful with Trump.
#Trump is a useful fool who doesn't realise the oligarchs are playing him. Ultimately USA could go the way of Russia except Trump is no Putin. There will be a void at the top once the oligarchs have broken the US system of government. Musk is Sth African and can't be elected... unless of course there are enough cronies to break the Constitution so he can become the Dark Lord.
Elon Musk May Be An Illegal Immigrant!
Musk Could Have US Citizenship Revoked If He Lied on Immigration Forms
The richest man in the world appears to have worked in the US without authorization. According to experts, if he did so and lied about it as part of the immigration process, he could be denaturalized.
#AureFreePress #News #press #headline #GOP #Politics #uspolitics #uspol #Breaking #BreakingNews #Trump #Musk #Twitter #x #Fediverse #socialmedia
It's troubling that, in order to combat Starlink's attempt to own low Earth orbit internet access, we have to fill it with yet more satellites 🛰
UPDATE, via Josh Gerstein:
JUST IN: Judge moves up & relocates hearing on Philly DA Krasner's suit seeking to shut down #Musk's $1 million-a-day giveaway to voters who sign his petition. Changes made after Krasner said he got antisemitic messages and threats over the case #Pennsylvania
Via Jake Lahut:
This is just a wild one, no other way to put it.
Per video obtained by WIRED, door knockers for a subcontractor of Elon #Musk's America PAC sat on the floor of a moving van with no seats (or seatbelts, obv), separated from their driver by a metal cage.
3/ Rupar:
This is a very revealing and important response 👇 it's fine if Elon #Musk has regular discussions with Putin because Elon is Trump's "genius" and he needs to be taken care of
REPORTER: Did you know that Elon Musk was in communication was in Putin?
#TRUMP: No. Elon is a great guy. He's one of our genuses. We have to take care of our geniuses.
Via Josh Gerstein:
JUST IN: Citing threats on X, Philly DA Larry Krasner asks that Friday hearing on his suit over #Musk $1 million-a-day giveaway be moved to more secure location. Says Musk must show Friday, too.
What Elon Musk Really Wants
The Tesla and X mogul has long dreamed of redesigning the world in his own extreme image. Trump may be his Trojan horse.Franklin Foer (The Atlantic)
NEW: Elon Musk’s pro-Trump America PAC has spent $144 million and over 40% went to Phil Cox - I analyzed FEC filings and found that $61.7 million was paid to firms linked to former GOP and DeSantis operative Phil Cox, who helps run America PAC.
#ElonMusk #Musk #AmericaPAC #Trump #PhilCox
My latest:
newstracs.com/musks-america-pa…
Musk's America PAC spent $144 mil, 40% to firms tied to PAC head
Elon Musk’s Pro-Trump America PAC has spent $144 million and over 40% was paid to firms tied to Phil Cox who co-manages America PACWendy Siegelman (NewsTRACS)
Via Kyle Griffin:
#Trump and #JDVance "know how to manufacture bullshit, and they prove it every single day."
"There's a reason unions across this country have endorsed Kamala #Harris … Donald Trump's a scab."
Elon #Musk "thinks your jobs are a joke. That's why I called him a dipshit and I stand by it."
Toon in Monday
A look at the world Monday through the eyes of political cartoonists from across the globeTHE SENTINEL (Sentinel Colorado)
Via Philly Inquirer’s Jeremy Roebuck:
BREAKING: Philly DA Larry Krasner sues to halt Elon #Musk’s $1 million voter giveaway in #Pennsylvania
inquirer.com/politics/election…
Philly DA sues to halt Elon Musk’s $1 million voter giveaway in Pennsylvania
The suit pits Krasner, a frequent target of Republican ire, against Musk, one of Donald Trump's highest profile surrogates in the state, in the waning days of a close presidential race.Jeremy Roebuck (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
#Musk has spoken to politicians from 13+ countries. 1/…
“Known topics of conversation ranged from business opportunities for Musk’s companies to elections and policy issues such as trade, energy, education and population management, according to a CNN review of Musk’s meetings, calls and conversations with political figures around the world since August 2021”
On hellsite:
Asha Rangappa:
Logan Act gets thrown around a lot, but if #Musk is secretly in communication w the head of state of a nation w which we have ongoing “controversy,” & is negotiating measures that undermine the US govt’s foreign policy, that is a crime.
Josh Gerstein:
If he has a top secret clearance, wouldn't he be obligated to report contacts with foreign nationals, especially from countries of concern?
emptywheel:
Yes. & WSJ piece suggested the spooks were tracking closely