His ranks one of the world's richest people. He spreads money around like manure in American political campaigns. He backs social causes ranging from legalization of marijuana to open borders and euthanasia. He views himself as a messianic figure who wants to reshape America in his image.
The mystery multi-billionaire is George Soros, born 86-years ago in Budapest, Hungary. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1956 and has amassed a personal fortune estimated this year to have eclipsed $25 billion. He heads up a large hedge fund and has an unsavory business reputation.
He made his fortune by shorting the British currency in 1992, earning him the title of the Man Who Broke the Bank of England. In 1997, Soros was called a "villain" by the Malaysian prime minister after he nearly destroyed the nation's economy through currency manipulation.
His financial entanglements usually end up damaging others. An activist in Thailand once labelled Soros a "kind of Dracula. He sucks the blood from people." He was convicted of insider trading in France and was fined $2.9 million by his native Hungary for illegal market manipulation.
This month an Israeli resources company filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Soros in New York Federal Court, accusing him of meddling in politics in the West African country of Guinea in order to prevent the firm from obtaining a lucrative contract.
This is the man who now pulls the strings in the Democratic Party. He funneled $21 million to Democrat candidates during the 2016 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets, a non-profit that tracks political donations. Over the years, he has spent close to $100 million to support Democrats.
He also is among the top bundlers, rich fund raisers who solicit donations from their pals and collect the money for the candidate. In the period from 1990 to 2016, he bundled $28 million in campaign contributions for the coffers of Democrat candidates, calculates Open.Secrets.
In 2008, Soros forked over a stunning $5 billion to the Democratic National Committee. A man can buy a lot of influence with dollar signs that add up to billions. It was no coincidence that 2008 was the year that Barrack Obama won the Democratic nomination, upsetting favored Hillary Clinton.
His political largess extends to 187 organizations in the country that support liberal causes, giving him enormous power and leverage. He has plowed millions into groups such as Media Matters for America, an organization that aims to silence Fox News and conservative radio talk radio.
Soros has pored millions more into Moveon.org, which has been at the forefront of organizing protests against then-candidate and now President Trump. The recent Women's March in Washington had ties to at least 50 organizations that are financially connected to Soros.
He prefers to operate out of public view, using his financial muscle and the web of philanthropic and liberal groups he supports to do his bidding. No Democrat could raise sufficient funding for a national campaign without the political and financial backing of the Godfather, George Soros.
But Soros has ambitions that extend beyond controlling the Democrat Party. He has branched out into media, building a large share holding in Time Warner, which owns CNN. Soros also has direct ties to 30 mainstream media organizations, reports Media Research Center.
High-level executives from The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, ABC and the Associated Press serve on Soros-funded organizations, the Media Research Center has documented. Soros wants increased clout with news outlets that peddle propaganda to Americans.
The man's power and influence are unparalleled. It begs the question: Should any one American be allowed to monopolize America's political landscape? The country's founders would have shouted "absolutely not." Now Americans must decide if that want one-man rule.
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