USA: Arch-conservative NGO is said to have received a billion

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The abolition of the constitutional right to abortion was one of the key issues for Republicans under Donald Trump

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Amanda Andrade-Rhoades / AP

Before the upcoming US midterm elections, a hitherto largely unknown major donor has brought a real windfall to the Republican party.

The New York Times reported that entrepreneur Barre Seid donated $1.6 billion to the non-governmental organization The Marble Trust.

The money should not go directly to the Republicans, but the head of the NGO has been campaigning for their interests for a long time.

NGO boss fought against abortion rights

According to the New York Times report, Seid, an electronics entrepreneur from Chicago and a long-time donor to the Republicans, transferred the money to the NGO in several tranches – presumably to save taxes, the US newspaper said.

Instead of just sending money, Seid reportedly donated 100 percent of a company he owns to the NGO before it was sold to an Irish conglomerate for $1.65 billion.

This is said to emerge from tax documents submitted to the New York Times, from company documents and statements from an insider.

The Marble Trust is led by Leonard Leo, and unlike the NGO, Leo is no stranger to the Washington political arena.

Until he left, Leo was considered the leading figure in the Federalist Society, an association of right-wing lawyers that also includes Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Leo has been fighting against abortion for decades and likes to pose as a confidant of former President Donald Trump.

During the 2016 election campaign, he gave Trump a list of 25 names that he recommended for positions.

Among them was Neil Gorsuch, whom Trump elected to the Supreme Court shortly after taking office.

Leo's life's work is likely to be the Supreme Court's historic decision this year: The US court overturned the constitutional right to abortion.

The result is a patchwork of regulations.

Abortion is now largely banned in many states.

The $1.6 billion should now help Leo finance other core conservative issues.

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