Omid Malik, CEO of Colombier Acquisition Corp. on the New York Stock Exchange, June 17, 2021.
Source: NYSE
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine activist now running for president, has another wealthy backer in his corner: veteran Wall Street executive Omid Malik.
Last month, Malik took Kennedy to a swanky private dinner at the Bellagio in Las Vegas to rub shoulders with a group of political power players, according to people familiar with the matter.
The dinner, which coincided with SCALE’s Global Business Summit, was attended by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Trump economic advisor Gary Cohn, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. People said, Democratic giant Marc Lasry.
Several attendees were listed as speakers at the summit. A spokeswoman for Cohen confirmed he attended the dinner and that the gathering included several speakers at the summit. Representatives for Kennedy, Clinton, Pompeo, Summers and Lasry did not respond to requests for comment at the dinner. Johnson’s spokesperson could not be reached.
While these people said Kennedy did not present himself as a candidate, his presence at the dinner represented another way of bolstering his presence in the political conversation even though he has publicly pushed several conspiracy theories, including his bogus vaccination take. The people declined to be named to speak about private deliberations and conversations.
However, the election was on the minds of those present at the dinner. There are some, including Clinton, who have suggested that President Joe Biden’s age may be a hurdle he will need to ignore for voters, said a person familiar with the matter. Another person said Clinton also praised Biden’s tenure as president. She previously said at a Financial Times event in May that “Biden’s age is an issue. And people have every right to consider that.” Biden will turn 82 after next year’s general election, while former President Donald Trump will turn 78 in November 2024.
Kennedy also gained a bit of traction in polls that pitted him against Biden in the Democratic primary. A Quinnipiac poll in June showed Biden with 70% support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters, while Kennedy had 17% support among those same groups.
Name recognition is probably part of that. Kennedy is the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated during his presidential campaign in 1968, and the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, who was shot dead in 1963.
Meanwhile, Malik joins other wealthy donors in their support of Kennedy. Venture capitalist David Sachs and fellow tech pioneer Chamath Palihapitiya hosted a Kennedy fundraiser this month, according to Tweet by Palihapitiya. “The turnout was amazing,” the tweet said, with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in attendance. The event raised nearly $500,000 for the Kennedy campaign, according to another person with first-hand knowledge of the matter. Kennedy has also been a guest on Sacks and Palihapitiya’s podcast.
Billionaire Twitter owner Elon Musk hosted Kennedy at Twitter Spaces recently. Malik joined the discussion. Musk said last year that he was leaning toward supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president. He later hosted the Florida Republican’s adorable Twitter spaces when he announced his presidential run.
Malik prepares to host fundraisers
Malik will also host a fundraiser for Kennedy at the upscale Hamptons Hotel in July, according to those with first-hand knowledge of the matter. CNBC also featured an invitation to the Sag Harbor rally. The invitation, which did not name Malik, says the event will feature cocktails, appetizers, and dinner featuring a discussion with Kennedy.
Tickets for the rally are $6,600, which is the maximum an individual donor can give directly to the campaign. Oftentimes, half goes into a primary account and the other half goes into a pool of money meant for general elections.
There’s also a Hamptons event an owner will host for DeSantis in the works in July, according to one person.
A spokesperson for DeSantis’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Malek himself has donated to candidates on both sides of the aisle. He gave DeSantis when he ran for re-election in 2022, as well as Biden’s 2020 campaign and with Donald Trump II failing to win the White House, according to data from nonpartisan OpenSecrets.
Malik worked as a managing director at Bank of America until 2018 prior to the reported controversy, According to the New York Post, it resulted in an eight-figure settlement with the company he won.
Since then, Malik has created his own lane on Wall Street with two companies: 1789 Capital and Farvahar Partners.
The Post reports that Malik is launching a new fund through 1789 Capital called EIG — or Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Entrepreneurial Development.
The newspaper said the $150 million fund is backed by GOP behemoth Rebecca Mercer who helped fund Breitbart and later Cambridge Analytica, and former Republican Senate candidate in Arizona Blake Masters who used to work with fellow Republican financier Peter Thiel.
