“Our
entire crony capitalist system, Democrat and Republican alike, has become
a kleptocracy approaching par with third-world hell-holes. This is the way
a great country is raided by its elite.” Karen
McQuillan
THE BIDEN INVASION - Health inspections for foreign nationals entering our country illegally have gone out the window. That's enabled the importation of many diseases which affect livestock and other agricultural output, and already these things are happening. Legal immigrants and even returning U.S. citizens must pass these inspections to protect the U.S. food supply. But under Joe Biden's catch-and-release, illegals are exempt from such cumbersome requirements. MONICA SHOWALTER
Saturday, May 16, 2020
TRUMP'S CRONY CAPITALISM - DONOR GETS $20 MILLION BAILOUT FOR PRIVATE JET COMPANY
Another Private Jet Company Owned by a Trump Donor Got a Bailout —
This One for $20 Million
The two private jet companies are among the first 96 airline
companies disclosed as recipients of taxpayer funds under the CARES Act.
by Jake Pearson
A Jet Linx aircraft on Sept.
25, 2019, in Teterboro, New Jersey. The private jet company, whose owner was an
early Trump donor, received $20 million in taxpayer aid. (Sylvain
Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Jet Linx Aviation, which caters
to well-to-do CEOs and executives, was the second private plane company founded
or owned by Trump donors to receive federal funds designated for the airline
industry under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. CNBC
reported on Thursday that Clay Lacy Aviation, a Van Nuys, California-based
private jet company whose founder has given nearly $50,000 to the Republican
National Committee and Trump, got $27 million in federal funds.
Jet Linx Management Company
Vice Chairman John Denny Carreker and his wife, Connie, gave $68,100 to Trump’s
campaign, the Republican National Committee and the Trump Victory Committee
between October 2015 and November 2016, Federal Election Commission filings
show. Connie Carreker gave an additional $1,000 to the Trump campaign in November
2018, according to the FEC.
Most of the CARES Act money for
the airline industry has gone to commercial or regional carriers. American,
Delta, United and Southwest collectively were allotted almost $19.5 billion,
more than three-quarters of the total reserved for the passenger airline
industry.
But private charters haven’t
been left out.
A number listed for the
Carrekers at their Dallas home wasn’t in service, and a press representative
for the company hasn’t responded to emails seeking comment. A Treasury
Department spokeswoman said campaign contributions play no role in determining
which companies received federal funds, requirements that were set by Congress.
CNBC reported that Clay Lacy
did not respond to a request for comment on its reporting.
Lawmakers set aside $25 billion
for passenger airlines in the coronavirus relief bill. Companies that earned at
least half their revenue last year by flying people from place to place could
apply for grants from a special program within the CARES Act designed to cover
payroll and benefits for workers. The size of the grants companies received is
supposed to be based on how much they paid their employees in salary and
benefits between April and September last year. The law restricts how much
executives are allowed to take in compensation.
The Treasury Department
declined to say how many total companies applied for the payroll grants, how
many were private plane companies or how many applicants were deemed ineligible
for funds. A spokesman for the Transportation Department said officials
verified that applicants held up-to-date “certificates and authorizations”
before the Treasury distributed them money.
It wasn’t clear when the other
passenger airline companies granted payroll aid would be publicly disclosed.
Jet Linx claims an 112-aircraft
fleet that flies out of 18 cities where it operates its own private terminals.
The company says it has 450 workers, who serve as flight crew and operations,
maintenance and support staff.
Jet Linx offers well-heeled
customers membership packages that give them access to luxury plane rides for a
fee. On its website, Jet Linx offers members who pay $5,000 up front access to
any size jet for pay-as-you-fly costs. Hourly rates can run up to $4,500 per hour.
Do you work for a company that
was denied CARES Act funds? If so, or if you were laid off from a company that
received the federal aid, email Jake Pearson at jake.pearson@propublica.org
Doris Burke contributed
research.
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