SoftBank donated $50 million to Trump’s library just months before federal data center deal
SoftBank donated $50 million to the Trump Presidential Library foundation shortly before securing a federal land lease for a massive data center project. Lawmakers are questioning the timing of the donation, suggesting a potential conflict of interest or bribery.
Why it matters
It raises significant ethical and legal questions regarding the intersection of corporate lobbying, political donations, and federal government contracts.
SoftBank contributed $50 million to the Trump Presidential Library in January, just months before announcing that it’s leasing land from the federal government to build a sprawling data center in Ohio. The Japanese company revealed the timing in response to a June letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), which raised concerns about bribery.
“Are we expected to believe it’s a coincidence that two months after Softbank donated $50 million to the Trump library, his administration announced a massive lease deal for Softbank’s data center?” Sen. Warren said in a statement to The Verge. “Again and again, it seems like Trump is putting handshake deals with CEOs over what’s best for Americans.”
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