Republican establishment megadonors are reportedly financing an effort to tear down black pastor Mark Burns, who is backed by former President Donald Trump, in a bid to boost his establishment-backed opponent ahead of South Carolina’s upcoming runoff election. A group called “Conservatives for American Excellence,” funded by GOP billionaires Ken Griffin and Paul Singer, among others, has been running attack ads against Burns. Griffin is one of the most prominent donors in the establishment GOP, while Singer was a major backer of former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley during the 2016 Republican primaries. The group’s ad falsely accuses Burns of “stolen valor,” relying on a 2016 CNN hit piece that claimed he had previously mixed up the Army Reserves with the South Carolina National Guard. Despite these allegations, Burns has repeatedly defended his military service record and provided proof of his honorable discharge from the South Carolina Army National Guard. The donor-class struggle to maintain control of some elements of the Republican Party appears to represent a broader fight between establishment Republicans and more moderate and reasonable Republicans around Trump, as evidenced by similar spending against other Trump-backed candidates in various congressional races across the nation.
