The opposition New Democrats blasted away at the Sask Party Wednesday over a longstanding contract with a U.S. firm who they say supports Donald Trump.
At a news conference at the Legislature, NDP Ethics and Democracy critic Meara Conway said her party has been analyzing donations made by Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough, a large U.S. law and lobby firm, to Republican political action committees (PACs) and key Republican candidates.
“We have major fears that public dollars that belong to the people of Saskatchewan have directly gone to firms or firms that have then turned and donated that money to prop up Trump’s election machine, and those of his closest allies,” said Conway.
Among the donations, according to Conway, were to J.D. Vance’s Senate campaign last June; political donations to Marco Rubio over several years as he ran for President and other posts; $30,000 to the Republican Senatorial committee, and to the Fund for America’s Future PAC.
Conway noted Nelson Mullins has been contracted to the Sask Party government for 14 years and been paid millions of dollars — $8 million up to 2022, and renewed for $1 million or more over the years since, she said.
Conway accused Nelson Mullins of using those public dollars to then line the pockets of Donald Trump and his allies.
“This is not OK. It’s gross. And it’s not an acceptable use of Saskatchewan taxpayer money.”
She demanded the full release of the Sask Party’s lobbying contracts, arrangements and deliverables with firms in the US, including specifically how much public funding is still being provided this year to Nelson Mullins, how much is being provided and “whether any conditions have been put in place with the firm to prevent its representatives from funding Trump allies in the wake of this trade war.”
Conway called these “unprecedented times” and questioned why the Sask Party would send taxpayer dollars to a firm that “props up a MAGA movement that is hell bent on dismantling our economy and undermining our very future. It makes no sense.”
While the NDP played up the links to Trump at their news conference, Nelson Mullins has actually split its political donations between Republicans and Democrats over the years.
According to information about their PAC candidate spending for 2024 posted at opensecrets.org, Nelson Mullins spent $313,668 on contributions to federal candidates with a split of 47.93 per cent to Democrats and 51.11 per cent to Republicans. There have also been recent years when Democrats got the larger share of the contributions.
In Question Period Wednesday, the Sask Party government dismissed the claims from the NDP.
“When we see an environment in the US with a Republican President, a Republican controlled Senate and a Republican controlled House, Mr. Speaker, it should come as no surprise this province is engaging with a consultant that has access to the Republican Party and their representatives there, Mr. Speaker,” said Premier Scott Moe. Moe said they had been “well represented” as a province by Nelson Mullins for a decade and a half.
Minister of Trade and Export Development Warren Kaeding said the government would not end the contract with Nelson Mullins.
“The US is still our largest trading partner and Nelson Mullins has provided us great service during that time when, remember, we had both Democrats and Republicans leading the US,” said Kaeding.
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