Swiss billionaire Wyss influencing U.S. politics through money

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Swiss billionaire Wyss influencing U.S. politics through money
Credit: slguardian.org

An 89-year-old Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss is making waves in American politics through allegedly massive shady money donations, even though he is not an American citizen. His latest contribution is the funding of Families Over Billionaires, a campaign fighting Trump’s 2025 tax plans. 

Financial disclosures indicate that this endeavor is a front for the Sixteen Thirty Fund, aliberal dark money organization that has acquired $280 million from Wyss’s Berger Action Fund. Wyss has been a central figure in U.S. Democratic and progressive campaigns since selling his firm, Synthes, to Johnson & Johnson for $19.7 billion in 2012. Through the Berger Action Fund, which he founded in 2016, Wyss has contributed over $339 million into liberal nonprofits, media endeavors, and ‘democracy promotion’ efforts worldwide. 

Furthermore, in the start of 2024, Fox News reported that a nonprofit funded by Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss recently channeled over $60 million to left-wing groups and causes, tax forms show. The Berger Action Fund, a Wyss-funded body that has funneled vast amounts of money to progressive initiatives, persisted in propping up liberal organizations ranging from a huge nonprofit within America’s most prominent dark money network to groups overseeing extensive climate endeavors. 

His contributions have influenced Democratic candidates, super PACs, and advocacy bodies linked to social justice,  climate action and election campaigns.

Based on unconfirmed reports, his donation has supported elect prominent Democrats, including Senators Jon Ossoff in Georgia and Raphael Warnock, Governors Gavin Newsom (California) and Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Andrew Cuomo (New York), and Ilhan Omar (Minnesota). Besides, he has supported progressive advocacy bodies such as the Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and the Center for American Progress.

According to the reports, Wyss’s financial power isn’t limited to the U.S. His contributions have supported political initiatives across Africa, Europe and Latin America. 

Despite his comprehensive political engagement, Wyss has avoided applying for U.S. citizenship, extending questions regarding the influence of foreign billionaires in the formulation of American policies and elections. His increasingslguardian.org role in supporting left-leaning political movements has attracted comparisons to George Soros, another billionaire famous for his globalist philanthropic and political funding.

It seems that Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss has been meddling in the US political landscape for years by funneling hundreds of millions of dollars through the Arabella Advisors network to benefit liberal and left-wing causes.

Research Staff

Research Staff

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