Pharmaceutical company Pfizer donated $1 million to the Republican Party of Kentucky Building Fund in the final quarter of 2022, public records show.
The Republican Party of Kentucky Building Fund filed a report Jan 3. with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance (KREF) containing its fourth quarter donations. The filing was due Monday and first reported on by the Kentucky Lantern, a local outlet.
Great reporting by the inimitable Tom Loftus:
Pfizer gives $1 million to Republican Party of Kentucky to expand its headquarters – Kentucky Lantern https://t.co/dM8Xwcwg1W— Deborah Yetter (@d_yetter) January 9, 2023
Other corporations donated large sums to the fund, including $300,000 from MetLife Insurance, $100,000 from Comcast Corp., $100,000 from AT&T, $100,000 from Altria Client Services and $50,000 from Delta Air Lines, the report shows. The fund received over $1.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 after it ended the third quarter with a $77,407 balance. (RELATED: McCarthy May Have Won But The Establishment Took A Loss)
The Kentucky GOP is permitted under state law to establish a building fund for expenditures related to “the purchase, construction, maintenance, renovation, and repair of the state executive committee’s main headquarters facility,” according to the KREF. There are no contribution limits to the building fund for individuals or corporations.
“The Republican Party of Kentucky is raising funds into our building fund, as demonstrated in our most recent report filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance [KREF]. As noted in our January 3, 2022 report, the Republican Party purchased the lot next door to our Frankfort headquarters and is planning an expansion project. With the growth of the Republican Party in Kentucky, we have a need for additional space,” Republican Party of Kentucky Spokesperson Sean Southard told the Daily Caller.
This photograph taken on December 22, 2020 in Puurs shows the logo of US multinational pharmaceutical company Pfizer at the production site of the Covid-19 vaccine that was given the European Union’s green light the day before, paving the way for vaccinations to finally start in the 27-nation bloc on December 27. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)
“As we raise funds into the building fund account, we are following both federal and state law. All donations are accepted and reported in accordance with the law. The funds raised into this account can only be used for certain expenditures related to the building and are not eligible to be spent on candidate or issue advocacy,” Southard added.
The Republican Party of Kentucky’s headquarters is named for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and currently has a $485,000 taxable valuation, according to the Franklin County Property Valuation Administrator’s website. The administration currently values the party’s vacant lot at $150,000.
Pfizer spent roughly $11.6 million on federal lobbying and $1.6 million in political contributions in 2022, according to watchdog group OpenSecrets. Pfizer increased its revenue by 95% to $81.3 billion from 2020-2021, largely due to its mRNA COVID vaccine and COVID treatment Paxlovid, the company’s financial statements show.
Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment.