Rebekah Mercer

Rebekah Mercer
Basic facts
Organization:	Mercer Family Foundation
Role:	Director
Location:	New York, N.Y.
Affiliation:	Republican
Education:	Stanford University (B.S. and M.S.)

Rebekah Mercer is the director of the Mercer Family Foundation. Her family, including her father, Robert Mercer, donates to Republican candidates for office. Her family also helps fund Breitbart News, a conservative news outlet founded by Andrew Breitbart. Mercer is on the board of directors for the Heritage Foundation. She is also the co-founder of Ruby et Violette, an online retailer of gourmet ice cream and chocolate cookies.

Mercer was also an executive committee member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team, a group of advisors tasked with recommending presidential appointments for the incoming administration.

Biography

After receiving a dual bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Stanford University, Mercer initially worked as a trader at a New York City financial firm. She and her husband, Sylvain Mirochnikoff, live in New York City, where, according to The Wall Street Journal, the two spent "16 months and more than $28 million buying six adjoining units in Donald Trump's 41-story Heritage at Trump Place on the Upper West Side" in 2010.

According to The Hill, Mercer identifies as libertarian and supports libertarian-leaning think tanks like the Cato Institute and the Goldwater Institute. The Hill also noted, "Little has been written about the Mercers because they avoid the public spotlight."

Career

Board appointments

Mercer is on the board of directors of the following organizations:

• Heritage Foundation
• Reclaim New York
• Media Research Center
• The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation
• The Moving Picture Institute
• The American Museum of Natural History

Political donations

Rebekah Mercer and her father, Robert Mercer, are active donors in Republican politics. In August 2016, The Hill reported that Mercer is "known as a hands-on operator who won’t open up the Mercer checkbook without strict conditions about which vendors are used and which consultants are hired." In some cases, these conditions include that candidates use certain firms, like Cambridge Analytica, a data firm that Robert Mercer has invested in.

Donald Trump presidential transition team, 2016-2017

See also: Donald Trump presidential transition team

Mercer was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team in his first presidential term. The transition team was a group of around 100 aides, policy experts, government affairs officials, and former government officials who were tasked with vetting, interviewing, and recommending individuals for top cabinet and staff roles in Trump's administration. According to Fox News, Mercer was part of the team's executive committee.

Viewpoints

Personal beliefs

On February 14, 2018, Mercer wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal to explain to the public what she believes. She wrote, "I don’t seek attention for myself and much prefer to keep a low profile. But my natural reluctance to speak with reporters has left me vulnerable to the media’s sensational fantasies. Some have recklessly described me as supporting toxic ideologies such as racism and anti-Semitism. More recently I have been accused of being 'anti-science.' These absurd smears have inspired a few gullible, but vicious, characters to make credible death threats against my family and me."

Mercer outlined the following beliefs in her op-ed:

• Mercer on equality and fairness: "I believe in a kind and generous United States, where the hungry are fed, the sick are cared for, and the homeless are sheltered. All American citizens deserve equality and fairness before the law. All people should be treated with dignity and compassion. I support a United States that welcomes immigrants and refugees to apply for entry and ultimately citizenship. I reject as venomous and ignorant any discrimination based on race, gender, creed, ethnicity or sexual orientation."

• Mercer on federalism: "As a federalist, I believe that power should be decentralized, with those wielding it closely accountable to the people they serve. There is obviously a role for the federal government. But I support a framework within which citizens from smaller political entities—states, counties, cities, towns and so on—can determine the majority of the laws that will govern them. Society’s problems will never be solved by expensive, ineffective and inflexible federal programs."

• Mercer on research and the scientific method: "I am deeply committed to research and the scientific method. I have degrees from Stanford in biology, mathematics, and operations research and engineering economic systems. I believe that genuine scientific discovery flourishes only in an atmosphere of dispassionate, open-minded inquiry, with research evaluated according to neutral, evidence-based criteria. I oppose politicized science, in which researchers cannot study certain subjects—or even ask certain questions—for fear of career-ending backlash and persecution."

• Mercer on supporting Trump: "I supported Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign because he promised to tackle entrenched corruption on both sides of the aisle. I continue to support President Trump, which does not mean I agree with every position he has taken or every thought he has tweeted. I remain hopeful that he will continue striving to fulfill his campaign promises."

• Mercer on Breitbart News and Steve Bannon: "I own a minority stake in Breitbart News (where I have no editorial authority) because I believe it adds an important journalistic voice to the American conversation. Stephen Bannon, its former chairman, took Breitbart in the wrong direction. Now that Mr. Bannon has resigned, Breitbart has the opportunity to refine its message and expand its influence."

• Mercer on open discourse: "This country was founded on the principle of open discourse. Intellectual diversity and vigorous, reasoned debate have been fundamental to America’s success, making us the freest, most prosperous and most innovative society in human history. But we have lost our way. As my family and I know firsthand, America is now a society that threatens, pillories, and harms those who dare to question the status quo. But questioning the status quo is more important now than ever. America’s future depends on it."

Breitbart and Steve Bannon

Mercer, a co-owner of the conservative network Breitbart News and member of Trump's transition team, released a statement in January 2018 formally severing her ties with Breitbart executive chairman and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon.

"I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected," she said. "My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements."

Mercer's statement was a response to the publication of excerpts from Michael Wolff’s book about the Trump White House that attributed comments critical of Trump's inner circle to Bannon.

The Wall Street Journal reported on January 4, 2018, that Mercer and other members of the Breitbart board were also considering removing Bannon as executive chairman of the network. Bannon officially stepped down the following week.

2016 presidential election

Donald Trump

See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016

After Donald Trump received the Republican nomination for president, Mercer began to support Trump through a super PAC and through recommendations for advisors. The Mercers converted the pro-Ted Cruz super PAC Keep the Promise into Make America Number 1, a super PAC opposing Hillary Clinton (D). The super PAC, according to Politico, was "colloquially known as the "Defeat Crooked Hillary PAC."

Mercer also initiated the hiring and promotion of both Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, who became the campaign manager and CEO for Trump's campaign, respectively, on August 17, 2016. The Washington Post reported on Mercer's role in joining Bannon and Trump at a fundraising event. The paper reported, "According to three Republicans familiar with that event, Trump was confronted by several supporters there, including mega-donor Rebekah Mercer, about news reports on his advisers’ desire to tame his personality. ... Trump was visibly infuriated at the news stories, the Republicans said, and he conferred with Mercer about potential steps he might take to remake his campaign and populate his inner circle with voices more like his own. Bannon’s name soon came up."

On September 7, 2016, USA Today reported that Mercer would take over operations of the anti-Hillary Clinton super PAC Make America Number 1. At the time of the move, the super PAC's spokesperson, Hogan Gidley, said, "She’s the driving force behind its activity, and she’s taking an active role in its day-to-day operation."

Ted Cruz

See also: Ted Cruz presidential campaign, 2016

During the 2016 presidential primary elections, Mercer and her family supported the candidacy of Ted Cruz (R) through the funding of a super PAC, Keep the Promise I. When the super PAC was established in August 2015, Robert Mercer made an $11 million contribution. The super PAC was run by Kellyanne Conway, a Mercer family confidante who became Donald Trump's (R) campaign manager on August 17, 2016. According to The Wall Street Journal, "The Mercers were closely involved in [the super PAC's] management, participating in daily strategy calls among the multiple super PACs in the pro-Cruz network." Another super PAC donor noted the close relationship between Mercer and Conway, telling the paper, "She and Kellyanne had a great working relationship and did a really good job of spending their dollars wisely."

In April 2016, Keep the Promise I initiated what it called "Plan B+," which was a strategy to target unbound delegates and convince already pledged delegates to back Cruz after the first ballot at the Republican National Convention in July.

See also

• Robert Mercer
• Breitbart News
• Kellyanne Conway

External links

• Rebekah Mercer profile with Heritage Foundation
• Search Google News for this topic