Billionaire with Epstein ties emerges as top Dem donor bankrolling ads weaponizing disgraced financier’s files
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman was one of the largest donors to House Majority PAC, which has recently spent heavily on adverts using Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes to criticise Republican candidates. The timing has prompted accusations of hypocrisy from Republicans, given Hoffman’s past association with Epstein, though the filings do not show whether his donation funded any particular advert.
The PAC spent $543,300 on an advert targeting Alaska Republican Nick Begich over an earlier procedural vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act; Begich later backed the bill, which became law in November 2025 and requires the Justice Department to release Epstein-related records while protecting victims’ identities. The group also spent $480,000 in Iowa, $2.06 million in Pennsylvania’s 1st District, $550,150 in Arizona and $628,000 in Pennsylvania’s 8th District. Hoffman has said he regretted continuing his relationship with Epstein after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, and has denied wrongdoing.
In short
- Reid Hoffman was a major donor to House Majority PAC.
- The PAC spent millions on Epstein-themed adverts targeting Republicans.
- Filings do not link Hoffman’s donation to specific adverts.
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The case for
Critics can argue that a major donor’s past association with Epstein makes it fair to question the consistency of funding adverts that invoke Epstein’s crimes, especially when the PAC is spending heavily on the issue. They may also say voters should scrutinise how political groups use the controversy and whether criticism of a candidate’s procedural vote gives a complete account, given that Begich later supported the bill.
The case against
Defenders can argue that Hoffman’s donation to the PAC does not show that he funded or directed any particular advert, and the reported filings establish no such link. They may also distinguish his acknowledged, regretted association with Epstein from the PAC’s case that candidates’ records on releasing files deserve scrutiny, while noting that the bill became law with protections for victims’ identities.