Politics
Two former employees, $32 million, and a road to the vice presidency
RECORD / AT A GLANCE
FEC records
Documented.
THE EVENTS / THE INVESTIGATION / THE STORY
2011
Vance later calls it “the most significant moment” of law school.
2015
Vance joins Thiel’s Mithril Capital.
19 May 2021
Narya and Thiel lead an investment in Rumble.
2021
Thiel introduces Vance to Trump.
2022
$15 million to the pro-Vance PAC; $17.5 million to the pro-Masters PAC.
Jul 2024
Trump picks Vance.
READ THE FILE
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WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THIS FILE
8 claims people make about this file, each rated documented, partly true, disputed, unproven or false. Think a rating is wrong? Use Dispute or Support, or join the Discussion.
At Mithril Capital from 2015.
Who says it: The Guardian, TechCrunch.
He wrote it in 2020 in The Lamp.
Who says it: The Guardian.
$15 million to a pro-Vance super PAC in the primary.
Who says it: CNBC, FEC.
$15 million plus $2.5 million to a pro-Masters PAC; Masters lost.
Who says it: CNBC.
CNBC’s tally.
Who says it: CNBC.
At Mar-a-Lago in 2021.
Who says it: Fortune.
Narya and Thiel led a 2021 investment.
Who says it: Rumble.
The patronage is documented; control is not. They have reportedly disagreed with Trump on Iran together, not apart.
Who says it: Critics.
OPEN THE RECORD
Numbered citations in each article identify the relevant sources. These records have different purposes and evidentiary weight.
Covers the 2011 Yale talk, Mithril, Narya and Rumble.
His venture-capital career.
The company’s own announcement.
Names Sacks, O’Neill, Kratsios, Howery and Vance, and says Thiel introduced Vance to Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2021.
Profile covering his relationship with Thiel.
Reports $15 million to the pro-Vance PAC, $15 million plus $2.5 million to the pro-Masters PAC, and about $32 million in the 2022 cycle.
Primary filing data for the pro-Vance super PAC.
Nonpartisan money-in-politics tracker on the primary spending.
Follow-up report; partisan framing, same audio.
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From a Yale lecture to the ticket.
Vance wrote in 2020 that Thiel’s 2011 talk was “the most significant moment of my time at Yale Law School.” He joined Thiel’s Mithril Capital in 2015, then co-founded Narya Capital with Thiel’s backing; Narya led a 2021 investment in Rumble that included Thiel. [1][2][3]
Fortune reported that Thiel introduced Vance to Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2021. [4][5]
What we can’t tell you. How much their politics differ now is a matter of later reporting.
Covers the 2011 Yale talk, Mithril, Narya and Rumble.
His venture-capital career.
The company’s own announcement.
Names Sacks, O’Neill, Kratsios, Howery and Vance, and says Thiel introduced Vance to Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2021.
Profile covering his relationship with Thiel.
FEC numbers.
CNBC tallied $32 million from Thiel in the 2022 midterms. He gave $15 million to a pro-Vance super PAC, which helped Vance win the primary, and $15 million plus $2.5 million to a pro-Masters PAC. He did not fund Vance in the general election. [1][2]
OpenSecrets called the Arizona Republican Senate primary record-setting for outside spending. Masters lost to Mark Kelly. [3]
What we can’t tell you. Dark-money spending, if any, is not in these totals.
Reports $15 million to the pro-Vance PAC, $15 million plus $2.5 million to the pro-Masters PAC, and about $32 million in the 2022 cycle.
Primary filing data for the pro-Vance super PAC.
Nonpartisan money-in-politics tracker on the primary spending.
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