{"id":2389495,"date":"2025-01-13T07:22:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T12:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-nasa-picks-donations-raise-eyebrows-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-13T07:24:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T12:24:30","slug":"trump-nasa-picks-donations-raise-eyebrows-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-nasa-picks-donations-raise-eyebrows-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump NASA pick&#8217;s donations raise eyebrows &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-nasa-picks-donations-raise-eyebrows-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2389495&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the scrutiny faced\u2062 by Jared\u2064 Isaacman, President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee \u200dfor the NASA administrator position, especially regarding \u200bhis significant \u2063financial\u2062 contributions to Democratic candidates and his ties to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) \u2062initiatives. Conservatives\u200b are raising \u200cconcerns about \u200disaacman&#8217;s over $300,000 in\u200d donations to Democrats as 2010 and his company&#8217;s \u200cDEI-focused efforts, which have become a focal point for GOP lawmakers reviewing his appointment. Notably, Isaacman contributed extensively to Democrat-affiliated political action committees, including a considerable donation just before the recent elections aimed at defeating Republican senators. Critics, including conservative think tank representatives and former GOP staffers, argue \u2064that Isaacman&#8217;s pattern of donations should be critically examined during his Senate confirmation hearings.Isaacman&#8217;s\u2063 past involvement in private space missions and his \u200dbillionaire status also contribute to the ongoing debate about his suitability for the role amidst Republican objectives to curtail \u2064what they view as\u200d &#8220;wokeness&#8221; in governance.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump NASA pick faces GOP scrutiny over donations to Democrats and DEI ties<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1931378\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE &mdash;<\/strong> Conservatives are sounding the alarm over how President-elect Donald Trump&rsquo;s pick to lead <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nasa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">NASA<\/a> donated over $300,000 to Democrats while his companies promoted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dei\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">diversity, equity, and inclusion<\/a> initiatives.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/space\/3249455\/trump-picks-billionaire-astronaut-jared-isaacman-nasa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Jared Isaacman<\/a>, a billionaire astronaut and businessman, was tapped in late December of last year to be NASA&rsquo;s next administrator. However, to some conservatives and GOP Senate staffers, Isaacman&rsquo;s reliable backing of Democrats and DEI ties should be investigated by Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">lawmakers<\/a> set to review his appointment.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;All of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hobbs-says-she-is-cautiously-prepared-to-work-with-trump-on-the-border-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Hobbs says she is cautiously prepared to work with Trump on the border - Washington Examiner\">incoming administration&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s appointees should get the benefit of the doubt, as President Trump is the preeminent constitutionally elected officer exercising judgment about staffing,&rdquo; said Ryan Williams, the president of the conservative Claremont Institute think tank. &ldquo;But Mr. Isaacman&rsquo;s contributions to Democratic candidates and his endorsement of DEI initiatives at his companies should rightly be front-and-center at his Senate confirmation hearing. GOP senators should get him to commit, on the record, to dismantling all of NASA&rsquo;s DEI initiatives of recent years.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Isaacman donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrats between 2010 and 2024, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The NASA appointee made under $10,000 in federal donations to Republicans from 2012 to 2016. Meanwhile, the payment processing company Shift4 that Isaacman founded has touted its DEI efforts in a publicly available <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/shift4-payments-files\/S4_ESG_Infographic.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">fact sheet<\/a> obtained by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Draken, a defense company Isaacman founded, has helped <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/draken-aero_equality-diversity-inclusivity-activity-7166765440738783233-RcUu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">sponsor<\/a> DEI-related events and recently <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240909090250\/https:\/\/www.draken.aero\/work-with-us\/equality-diversity-and-inclusion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">deleted<\/a> a page from its website called &ldquo;Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).&rdquo; Another since-deleted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.draken.aero\/media\/1052\/gender-pay-gap-report_51021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">page<\/a> on Draken&rsquo;s website referenced a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">gender pay gap report&#038;rdquo<\/a>; that appeared to be related to Draken&rsquo;s workforce.<\/p>\n<p>Isaacman&rsquo;s donation history is sure to give pause to GOP senators, according to Tom Jones, president of the conservative American Accountability Foundation nonprofit group and a former senior Republican Senate staffer.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t one slip-up donation to a random Democrat,&rdquo; Jones said. &ldquo;This is a large donation history that is nearly exclusively to Democrats. Two weeks before the election, he donated $41,300 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to defeat the senators he is now asking to shepherd him through the confirmation process.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>News of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schmitt-asks-schumer-to-block-censorship-agency\/\" title=\"Schmitt asks Schumer to block &#039;censorship&#039; agency\">conservative-led scrutiny<\/a> into Isaacman&rsquo;s Democratic ties comes as Republicans aim to target &ldquo;wokeness&rdquo; in the federal government and cut left-leaning spending programs enacted under President Joe Biden. Isaacman, 41, came under the spotlight for commanding private space flights in 2021 and 2024 operated by Elon Musk&rsquo;s SpaceX. He has a net worth of $1.8 billion, according to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/jared-isaacman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Forbes<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Isaacman&rsquo;s single largest donation was $100,000 in 2021 to Senate Majority PAC, a group affiliated with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Between 2023 and 2024, Isaacman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/individual-contributions\/?contributor_name=Jared+isaacman&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">made<\/a> large donations to Democrats in key swing states, including those boosting then-Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Bob Casey (D-PA). He cut a $5,000 <a href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/fecimg\/?202412059736896952\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">check<\/a> in October of last year to the California Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p>Conservatives are concerned Isaacman may perpetuate NASA&rsquo;s DEI <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/odeo\/diversity-and-inclusion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">programs<\/a> if he gets confirmed. NASA employees spoke out late last year on the agency&rsquo;s alleged &ldquo;DEI takeover,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sciencetech\/article-14124415\/nasa-slam-woke-dei-policies-costing-americans-millions.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">telling<\/a> the <em>Daily Mail<\/em> they think the agency has veered from its scientific mandate to focus on race-based initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>Biden&rsquo;s NASA, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realcleardefense.com\/2024\/10\/17\/nasa_spent_millions_on_environmental_justice_and_equity_1065780.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reportedly<\/a> spent millions of dollars on &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/was-environmental-justice-needs-complicating-linkage-to-ca-quebec-carbon-market-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"WA\u2019s \u2018environmental justice\u2019 needs complicating linkage to CA-Quebec carbon market - Washington Examiner\">environmental justice&#038;rdquo<\/a>; programs, laid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/jpl-workforce-update_-\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">off<\/a> more than 800 employees in 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/science\/2024\/02\/07\/nasa-layoffs-mars-sample-return\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">over<\/a> budgetary concerns.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Jared Isaacman has a lot of explaining to do on why he is the best person to advance President Trump&rsquo;s agenda on space issues after he spent so much money trying to defeat President Trump and his allies at the ballot box,&rdquo; said a senior GOP Senate staffer.<\/p>\n<p>Will Hild, the executive director of the conservative <a href=\"https:\/\/consumersresearch.org\/will-hild\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Consumers&rsquo; Research<\/a> nonprofit group, said DEI has been a problem at NASA for over a decade.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We hope that the new director will reject this nefarious ideology and focus on turning the agency away into something that can return to expanding the boundaries of human knowledge and exploration,&rdquo; Hild said. <\/p>\n<p>The Trump-Vance Transition declined to comment, pointing the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> to Trump&rsquo;s<a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/113595378122687080\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> post<\/a> on his Truth Social platform announcing Isaacman&rsquo;s appointment. Isaacman did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;NASA remains committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility because it enables the agency to accomplish deeper discoveries, greater innovation in space technology, and better research for the benefit of all humanity,&rdquo; a NASA spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Fostering an inclusive culture that values diverse thoughts and ideas enables us to see beyond the immediate and safely achieve mission success,&rdquo; a NASA spokesperson added. &ldquo;We will work in the coming days to ensure a smooth handover to the Trump Administration on Jan. 20, and wouldn&rsquo;t speculate on any potential changes to the agency&rsquo;s missions or priorities as we wait to have official direction from the new administration.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1931378\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1931378\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s NASA choice faces GOP backlash over $300K in Dem donations and DEI links<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2389496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-1833605515.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6733,4303,11488,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2389495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-controversy","tag-donations","tag-nasa","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-1833605515.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2389495"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2389499,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389495\/revisions\/2389499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2389496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2389495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2389495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2389495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}