Seth Klarman Image by Getty Images

By Josh Nathan-Kazis August 30, 2017

A major Jewish philanthropist who is among the biggest Republican donors in the country just gave $30,000 to help the Democrats take the House.

Seth Klarman, the reclusive hedge fund billionaire who backs the Times of Israel, among other Jewish causes, has been a major donor to Republican candidates and Super PACs.

Klarman, an independent, was harshly critical of of President Trump during the election, and donated to Hillary Clinton’s campaign supporting Marco Rubio in the Republican primary.

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Now, Klarman has gone a step further: In May, he gave $33,900 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which backs Democrats in House races.

Klarman declined a request for comment.

In a letter to investors in his hedge fund in February, Klarman raised serious concerns about Trump. “The erratic tendencies and overconfidence in his own wisdom and judgment that Donald Trump has demonstrated to date are inconsistent with strong leadership and sound decision-making,” he said, according to a New York Times report. “If things go wrong, we could find ourselves at the beginning of a lengthy decline in dollar hegemony, a rapid rise in interest rates and inflation, and global angst.”

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at nathankazis@forward.com or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

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