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MADISON, Wis. — Via his personal campaign Twitter account, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has endorsed Donald Trump’s controversial announcement that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Based on reporting about how Trump came to his decision and according to state campaign finance records, political pandering may explain Walker’s latest foray into foreign policy.
“Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson wanted this policy,” said One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. “And Scott Walker wants Sheldon Adelson’s money to help fund his own political ambitions.”
According to a report in the New York Times, Las Vegas casino magnate Adelson doled out $20 million to a Trump-supporting political action committee and personally lobbied for the policy change in a meeting with Trump. Since the announcement, other world leaders have condemned Trump’s actions and protests have erupted.
A review of Wisconsin campaign finance records shows Adelson has also generously donated to Scott Walker’s political ambitions, larding the state Republican Party with $650,000 and Walker’s gubernatorial campaign account with $260,000.
Adelson and his wife were also reported to be the largest individual donors to the Republican Governors Association (RGA) in 2016. Walker is the outgoing chair of the RGA and has benefitted from spending on his behalf by the organization in previous gubernatorial runs.
Ross noted that when Scott Walker has discussed foreign policy in the past, it has not gone well. During the lead up to his disastrous 71-day run for president, Walker compared the Wisconsinites protesting his efforts to strip workers of their rights to terrorists and declared he was ready to become commander-in-chief based on his achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.
