Todd Ricketts is telling his fellow Donald Trump mega-donors that they can support the controversial Republican presidential candidate without having their names disclosed, according to Politico.
Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs, is fronting 45Committee, a group registered under a section of the tax code — 501(c) (4) — that allows tax-exempt groups to accept unlimited contributions that can be used to air ads without revealing donors' names.
"There is a substantial appetite for a non-disclosing vehicle, because it's embarrassing to support Trump. There are more donors who are willing to support Donald anonymously than with their names on it," the fundraiser said.
Ricketts also controls Future45, a PAC that requires donors to disclose their identities. 45Committee is the only secret-money PAC with access to high-powered mega-donors, the Politico report said.
The Ricketts family supported Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's bid for the nomination at first. When Walker dropped out, the Ricketts family backed a super PAC created to stop Trump, who lashed out at the family, tweeting that they "better be careful, they have a lot to hide!"
One insider said that Trump called Todd Ricketts to thank him for his support, and Ricketts responded that Trump could thank him by winning.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, Todd's brother, endorsed Trump.
The family's political adviser, Brian Baker, said the family always planned to support the GOP nominee, whoever it was. Baker said they aim to keep Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton out of the White House "because she represents four more years of the Obama-Clinton economic policies that continue to cripple the middle class."
GOP financier Sheldon Adelson has reportedly donated or pledged $45 million to Trump.
The Ricketts' non-disclosure option appears to be gaining support from Adelson. Vanity Fair reports that Adelson is allegedly interested in donating to the 45Committee.
One GOP operative told Politico that Baker and the Ricketts family aim to be "main players in Republican big money, and they see that Trump has a chance to win, so they want to be able to take credit if he does."
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