Former WWE executive Linda McMahon, who’s running as a Republican for Chris Dodd’s Senate seat, has been forced multiple times to explain why she’s given thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and groups — including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, a hated figure on the right.
A video surfaced this week of McMahon explaining the donations to Emanuel and his PAC, which total $7,800, at a recent meeting with the Republican Town Committee in Enfield, Conn.
As she explained, Ari Emanuel, Rahm’s brother and a famous Hollywood agent, represented World Wrestling Entertainment and often asked McMahon for donations to different causes. Ari Emanuel also gave money to the WWE at times.
“He called me one day and he said, my brother is running for Congress in Illinois. It happened to be Rahm. I didn’t know Rahm,” she said, adding that she made more donations over the course of the next several years, including one check she wrote when Rahm Emanuel came to WWE headquarters to meet her.
“Now, these were not politically motivated checks,” McMahon said. “I’ve contributed more to Republicans than I have Democrats.”
She added that her contributions to Republicans were, however, “for my support.”
McMahon has also donated $15,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee between 2006 and 2007, according to Open Secrets.
McMahon’s fellow Republican candidates have attacked her for her contributions to Emanuel, specifically because of his role in helping Democrats take back Congress in 2006.
“Republican voters will not forget that she also spent tens of thousands of dollars to fund negative attack ads against Republican candidates in Connecticut and around the country, and helped put Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel in power,” said candidate Rob Simmons in October.
“We don’t need another person who puts expediency over principle,” said Sam Caligiuri, another candidate and state senator.
(H/T Rick Klein)
