Close

NEW: McSally, Daines Fundraiser Profiting Off Coronavirus Crisis

GOP Fundraiser Said His “Relationships With a Lot of People” Helped Him Obtain Medical Equipment He’s Now Selling for Profit as Hospitals Ration, Beg for Lifesaving Supplies

Fundraiser Still “Helping” Clients

Today, POLITICO reported that a top Republican fundraiser whose clients include Senators Martha McSally and Steve Daines is trying to “capitalize on the coronavirus response” by selling medical equipment — including coronavirus testing kits and N95 masks — he obtained through his “relationships with a lot of people.”

GOP fundraiser Mike Gula’s new company Blue Flame, LLC bills itself as “the largest global network of COVID-19 medical suppliers,” procuring “hard to find medical supplies” as hospitals beg for masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) amid a nationwide shortage that is costing health care workers their lives. Despite the fact that nearly 90% of U.S. cities don’t have enough supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Gula’s firm somehow got connected with “hundreds of well-known global suppliers” to deliver “the industry’s broadest product selection” of urgently-needed equipment. 

When asked how his company was able to set up such a large supply chain when desperate health care workers have resorted to using trash bags and bandanas to protect themselves, Gula said only, “I have relationships with a lot of people.” Those relationships include Senators McSally and Daines. Gula says he’s “helping” his clients through the end of the fundraising quarter that concludes March 31 — continuing to work for them as he cashes in on the dire shortage of test kits, masks, and other needed supplies.

“It’s alarming that a DC political fundraiser could set up a massive medical supply company while health care providers across the country struggle to obtain that same equipment,’” said DSCC spokesperson Helen Kalla. “His clients — including Senators McSally and Daines — will have to explain what they know about their longtime campaign aide trying to corner the market on lifesaving supplies during a public health crisis and why they’ve accepted his help.”

POLITICO: Republican fundraiser looks to cash in on coronavirus

By Theodoric Meyer and Alex Isenstadt

Key Points:

  • A longtime Republican fundraiser sent an email to his clients on Thursday abruptly announcing that he would no longer be working for them.
  • The reason: He saw an opportunity to capitalize on the coronavirus response.
  • The fundraiser, Mike Gula, didn’t specify his new line of work in the email. But in an interview, he said he’d started a new company selling medical equipment that’s been in short supply during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • The company, Blue Flame Medical LLC, was formed Monday in Delaware, according to state records. Its website says it sells coronavirus testing kits, N95 respirator masks, “a wide selection” of personal protective equipment and other “hard to find medical supplies to beat the outbreak.”
  • Asked how he’d managed to procure such equipment when there are shortages in hospitals across the country, Gula said, “I have relationships with a lot of people.”
  • The abrupt move to shutter Gula’s firm has set the Republican operative world ablaze, with many in the business wondering about Gula’s intentions and how he was able to move so swiftly.
  • Thomas declined to specify how he and Gula had managed to obtain masks that have become so rare that some hospitals have resorted to reusing them or having health care workers tie bandannas or scarfs around their faces. “It’s just relationship-based,” he said. “I can’t say anything else.”
  • Gula is a veteran fundraiser who’s raised money for more than two dozen lawmakers in this cycle alone, including Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Martha McSally of Arizona and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota.
  • Gula said he’s not shutting down his firm quite as quickly as his email to lawmakers made it appear. “I’m helping them, and I’m finishing out everything they need for this quarter,” he said. “The lights are not turned off.”

Read the full story here.

###

Next Post

New: Republican Groups Distance Themselves From Loeffler As Stock Selloff Scandal Spirals

Stay Connected


ICYMI: For Democrats, abortion pill case opens new front in election-year battle [The Washington Post]

12 hrs Ago

ago on Twitter

Close

Defend Our Democratic
Senate Majority


Sign up to receive text updates. By participating, you consent to receive recurring committee & fundraising messages from the DSCC, including automated text messages. Msg & Data rates may apply. Privacy Policy & ToS.

or