Gov. Greg Abbott fires up GOP crowd in Collin County the night before testing positive for covid - Abbott Twitter Photo

 

 

Abbott Covid Drug Maker Has
GOP Super Donor as Investor

Capitol Inside
August 17, 2021

Governor Greg Abbott made it a point to mention the name of the pharmaceutical company that makes the medication that he's taking when he revealed on Tuesday that he's tested positive for COVID-19.

Abbott has been setting up treatment facilities around the state that he's billed repeatedly as Regeneron monoclonal antibody infusion centers with enthusiastic endorsement for the drug treatment as an effective way to stem the tide of patients into Texas hospitals that are packed with them. The combination of drugs that's become known as a covid cocktail has been given to people who are risk of serious illness to decrease the odds of their having to be admitted to hospitals with infections.

Abbott provided an update tonight from the Governor's Mansion where he said in a video that he's feeling fine with no apparent symptoms so far while working from home during quarantine.

But Abbott might be inclined to drop the drugmaker's name from his upcoming communiques on his covid medication in light of an Associated Press report on Tuesday night on a Republican megadonor investing millions of dollars into Regeneron - the firm that manufactures the synthetic antibodies that the governor is taking now after frequent plugs in the past two weeks.

A hedge fund that Chicago investor Kenneth Griffin runs has almost $16 million worth of Regenon Pharmaceuticals, the AP reported in a story that focused on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his own vigorous pitches for the cocktail maker.

Griffin contributed $96 million to super PACs and other outside groups during the last three election cycles - according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics. Griffin was the fourth largest donor in the nation in 2020 to organizations that aren't controlled by actual candidates or parties - trailing only Sheldon Adelson, Michael Bloomberg and San Francisco resident Thomas Steyer. That makes Griffin the second largest GOP contributor last year.

The Texas Ethics Commission shows that Griffin contributed $125,000 during to the Republican State Leadership Committee during the 2016 election cycle. The group has played a significant role in the GOP's defense of its majority in the Texas House in recent elections.

Abbott and DeSantis have appeared to be mimicking each with the timing and content of recent covid orders including a ban on mask mandates at schools. DeSantis appeared to get a slight head start on Abbott, however, in the pitching of antibody infusion centers.

The AP report tonight said Griffin had pumped more than $10 million into a political action committee that backs DeSantis since 2018. The Texas Ethics Commission shows no direct donations from Griffin to Abbott or other candidates here, however.

more to come ...

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

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