Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Silicon Valley Billionaire Ellison Backs Nunes' Reelection Bid
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
February 13, 2018

Share

The Daily Beast reports that top Oracle executives have given so much money to Rep. Devin Nunes’ reelection campaign that some contributions had to be returned.
In a story headlined “The Silicon Valley Giant Bankrolling Devin Nunes,” reporter Lachlan Markay details contributions from five Oracle executives totaling nearly $35,000.
“What made the donations stand out, however, was not the size of them—$35,000 was a relatively small amount considering the more than $1.2 million that Nunes has raised so far this cycle. It was the timing of the giving,” Markay writes.

Oracle Hires Former Trump Intelligence Aid

The reporter goes on to explain that Ezra Cohen-Watnick, formerly a top intelligence aide in the Trump White House linked to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, “joined Oracle just weeks before its executives began writing checks to Nunes.”
Cohen-Watnick and Flynn are close political allies of Nunes, a Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee.
Flynn, a retired U.S. Army general, pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI about conversations with Russian Ambassador  Sergey I. Kislyak in late 2016.

Ellison Is a Political Outlier in Silicon Valley

In addition, Markay explains that “Oracle is a Republican outlier in Silicon Valley, and its executives’ right-leaning politics (and political contributions) present opportunities in Trump’s Washington unavailable to competitors like Amazon, a frequent target of (President) Trump’s ire.”
Oracle’s chairman and chief technology officer is Larry Ellison. Forbes estimates Ellison’s financial worth is $58.9 billion.

Nunes Has History of Landslide Victories

Nunes, of Tulare, customarily wins reelection by landslide margins in a district with a large Republican voter registration edge.
This year, three Democrats are challenging Nunes in California’s 22nd District. One of them, Fresno County assistant district attorney Andrew Janz, is receiving national attention. That attention is largely the result of Nunes’ controversial chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee.
The Daily Beast story goes into great detail about Cohen-Watnick’s relationship with Nunes. It also explains why some of the Oracle donations had to be returned. You can read the story at this link.

DON'T MISS

Augillard, Douglas Lead the Way as Bulldogs Rally Past Long Beach State

DON'T MISS

Israel Strikes Without Warning in Beirut, Kills at Least 15 as Cease-Fire Sought

DON'T MISS

Trump Taps Rollins as Ag Chief in Final Cabinet Pick

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

DON'T MISS

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

DON'T MISS

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

DON'T MISS

As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023

DON'T MISS

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

DON'T MISS

Nations at UN Climate Talks Agree on $300B a Year for Poor Countries in a Compromise Deal

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary

UP NEXT

Israel Strikes Without Warning in Beirut, Kills at Least 15 as Cease-Fire Sought

UP NEXT

Trump Taps Rollins as Ag Chief in Final Cabinet Pick

UP NEXT

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

UP NEXT

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

UP NEXT

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

UP NEXT

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

UP NEXT

Nations at UN Climate Talks Agree on $300B a Year for Poor Countries in a Compromise Deal

UP NEXT

What to Know About Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary

UP NEXT

What to Know About Scott Turner, Trump’s Pick for Housing Secretary

UP NEXT

Trump Taps Investor Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

2 hours ago

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

4 hours ago

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

4 hours ago

As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023

6 hours ago

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

6 hours ago

Nations at UN Climate Talks Agree on $300B a Year for Poor Countries in a Compromise Deal

18 hours ago

What to Know About Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s Pick for Labor Secretary

20 hours ago

What to Know About Scott Turner, Trump’s Pick for Housing Secretary

1 day ago

Trump Taps Investor Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary

1 day ago

NATO Head and Trump Meet in Florida for Talks on Global Security

1 day ago

Augillard, Douglas Lead the Way as Bulldogs Rally Past Long Beach State

LONG BEACH — Amar Augillard led Fresno State with 25 points and David Douglas Jr. made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 42 seconds left as the Bull...

1 hour ago

1 hour ago

Augillard, Douglas Lead the Way as Bulldogs Rally Past Long Beach State

1 hour ago

Israel Strikes Without Warning in Beirut, Kills at Least 15 as Cease-Fire Sought

1 hour ago

Trump Taps Rollins as Ag Chief in Final Cabinet Pick

2 hours ago

Fresno State Becomes Bowl Eligible, Defeats Colorado State on Senior Night

4 hours ago

After Fresno Visit, Newsom Announces $24.7M Taxpayer-Funded Apprenticeship Program

4 hours ago

How Will Merced County Fund Public Safety After Measure R’s Failure?

6 hours ago

As Atmospheric River Soaks California, Farmworkers Await Flood Aid Promised in 2023

6 hours ago

Sacramento Region Gained People but Flubbed Economic Opportunities Over 50 Years

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend