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Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman have given millions to political groups, including some that oppose President Trump, raising questions about their seats on a Pentagon advisory board, according to a report.
The two tech giants have contributed nearly $10 million this election cycle even as they sit on the Defense Innovation Board, the Daily Caller reported on Tuesday, citing filings with the Federal Election Commission.
“Knowing that individuals who openly despise and undermine President Trump serve on those boards while only two of 15 people on our campaign’s national security advisory committee landed positions in the administration is nothing short of horrendous,” J.D. Gordon, who served as the Trump campaign’s national security adviser, told the Daily Caller.
Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman in the George W. Bush administration, said that while such advisory boards have much influence on the Pentagon, they are “extremely valuable for career advancement, financial opportunities and other benefits.”
The Defense Innovation Board was created by Ash Carter, the secretary of defense in the Obama administration, in 2016 to advise the military on the innovative use of technology.
Schmidt has contributed nearly $2.9 million, including $750,000 to Future Forward USA PAC on May 13, the report said
An ad released by the group in 2018 plays on the classic children’s song, “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands,” and shows country club types clapping and smiling as images show white supremacists marching and Russian officials applauding a picture of Vladimir Putin.
Hoffman has given more than $6.3 million to groups backing Democratic campaigns in the 2020 cycle, including $1.5 million to Unite the Country, a PAC that supports Joe Biden, and $1.6 million to the Democrats Grassroots Victory Fund.
The advisory board did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment. Neither did reps for Hoffman and Schmidt.
https://nypost.com/2020/06/24/eric-schmidt-reid-hoffman-support-dems-while-serving-on-pentagon-board/
Mayo Clinic Trustees Welcome New Member, Elect Emeritus Member
November 8, 2013
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees welcomed Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, as a new member during a meeting today. The trustees also elected Shirley Weis, retiring Mayo Clinic vice president and chief administrative officer, as an emeritus trustee.
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-trustees-welcome-new-member-elect-emeritus-member/