Networks Censor Soros Ties to Trump's Finance Chair Pick

May 10th, 2016 12:11 PM

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump may argue that he’s a conservative, but his latest appointee comes from the ranks of former Soros employees. While that move might be a sticking point on the right, ABC, CBS and NBC have censored all information about Trump’s appointee.

Trump announced on May 5, 2016, Dune Capital Management CEO Steven Mnuchin as his national finance chairman pick. While Mnuchin is now tied to a Republican candidate, his past is littered with liberal ties — including working for liberal billionaire George Soros, donating to Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and financing some of Hollywood’s biggest films.

ABC, CBS and NBC news broadcasts did not consider Mnuchin’s appointment newsworthy. From May 5, when Trump first announced picking Mnuchin, to May 9, 2016, the morning and evening news shows on all three broadcast networks have failed to mention the appointment, let alone report his liberal ties.

Mnuchin first went to work for Soros in 2003, according to The Hollywood Reporter. After 17 years at Goldman Sachs, he left to become CEO of SFM Capital Management, a hedge fund backed by $1 billion from Soros. A year later, he left to co-found his own hedge fund, real estate and entertainment firm, Dune Capital. But his relationship with Soros did not end there.

Five years later, Mnuchin organized a group of investors, including Soros, to buy the IndyMac holding company from the FDIC, The Wall Street Journal reported on Jan. 2, 2009. IndyMac was the “third-largest bank failure in U.S. history.” After the purchase, Mnuchin became the new CEO of IndyMac.

Mnuchin also spent time as an Investment Professional for Soros Fund Management LLC, according to his bio on Bloomberg.

Mnuchin’s political donations also have strong liberal leanings. According to OpenSecrets, he has given nearly $121,000 in political donations since 1995, but more than twice as much went to liberals and Democrats than to Republicans. His donations included $7,400 to Hillary Clinton, and $4,300 to Obama. He has also given to John Kerry, John Edwards, and climate change alarmist Al Gore.

Mnuchin has strong ties to Hollywood as well. According to Variety, he has financed the X-Men films as well as Avatar, the second highest grossing movie of all time. Mnuchin has also produced at least 20 films including the 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road, American Sniper, and the Lego Movie.

Mnuchin also served on the board for Relativity Media from October 2014 through May 2015 -- two months before Relativity declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

While the networks were ignoring Mnuchin’s appointment and background, ABC, NBC, and CBS morning and evening shows all found time to discuss the rift between Trump and Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan.