Lawyer donates $1 million to family of former fire chief killed at Trump rally

Orlando attorney Dan Newlin also gave $100,000 to the families of those injured at the rally
July 17, 2024 at 10:49 AM

Nina Mosk

Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida attorney has pledged to donate $1 million to the family of the man who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Orlando attorney and mega-donor Dan Newlin said he felt a "duty to help my fellow Americans" and would donate $100,000 to the families of those injured at the rally.

“Democrats, Republicans, independents — none of that had anything to do with this,” said Newlin, 56. “This was all about knowing I could help a family while supporting our democracy.”

Trump left Saturday's rally bloodied but "safely" after a bullet pierced his right ear. Authorities said a gunman fired multiple shots into the crowd from a nearby rooftop before the Secret Service shot him dead.

Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter from Pennsylvania who was attending the rally with his family, was shot and killed by the gunman. Two other attendees, David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, were wounded and are in stable condition.

Newlin said Trump's campaign finance director, Meredith O'Rourke, called Sunday morning and asked for help raising $1 million for the victims' families. Newlin has donated to Trump's campaign and Republican super PACs in the past and said he considers the candidate a "friend."

"Tell the president, 'Don't worry about anything, I'll take care of it,'" he said he told O'Rourke on the phone. "'You can count on me to give you a million dollars.'"

Newlin said he plans to meet with his rival's family in Pennsylvania and personally deliver the money.

“I’m not a check-writing guy,” said the attorney, who said he frequently donates to Florida charities. “One of the great things about giving is being able to connect.”

According to the Federal Election Commission, Newlin has donated millions of dollars to Republican and Democratic political causes since 2003. He donated more than $2,500 to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.

But since 2023, the attorney's contributions have shifted to the right. Last year, he gave $1 million to Make America Great Again, a Trump-aligned super PAC. Trump also raised more than $8 million at a campaign fundraiser at Newlin's Windermere home in April. Newlin cited immigration and border issues as reasons for his support for Trump.

Earlier this month, the attorney launched what he called a "million-dollar-plus" campaign to place more than 100 electronic billboards promoting Trump in Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada. The slogans displayed along Interstate 4 include "Putting American Families First" and "Make America Safe Again!"

O'Rourke, a longtime fundraiser for the Florida Republican Party, also organized a GoFundMe page for the families of the dead and injured victims that had raised more than $4.9 million as of Tuesday.

Billionaires Elon Musk and Ken Griffin each donated $100,000.

The largest donations came from state leaders, including $50,000 from Sen. Rick Scott and his wife, Ann, and $10,000 from Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

"All donations will go to these proud Americans as they grieve and heal," O'Rourke wrote on the fundraising platform. "May God bless and unite our nation."

By Jeff Swensen

(Source: Tribune Content Agency, LLC.)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source: New Sancai Compilation and First Release)