The Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon G. Adelson is shifting tens of millions of dollars into groups backing congressional Republicans despite months of entreaties from allies of Donald J. Trump, according to several Republicans with knowledge of Mr. Adelson’s giving, dealing a major setback to Mr. Trump’s efforts to rally deep-pocketed Republican givers.
Mr. Adelson had once dangled the possibility of giving as much as $100 million to pro-Trump “super PACs,” an infusion that with a stroke would have given Mr. Trump a financially competitive network of outside groups to back his presidential campaign.
But with less than two months remaining in the campaign, the mercurial casino magnate — who entertained but ultimately rebuffed pitches from an array of Republican candidates during the party’s nominating contest this election cycle — appears to be focusing instead on Republicans in the House and Senate.
Republicans briefed on his giving said Mr. Adelson had committed $20 million each to two super PACs backing Senate and House Republicans, contributions that would again make Mr. Adelson the single largest known donor to political organizations in the country. CNN, which first reported the $40 million in contributions on Tuesday night, also said that Mr. Adelson had allocated only $5 million to supporting Mr. Trump.
As I wrote last night, the $5 million from someone like Adelson is quite a dis of Trump.