By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Alexandra Ulmer
(Reuters) – Hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin gave $5 million to an outside group supporting Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley this month, a person familiar with the donation said on Tuesday.
The support from Griffin, a Republican mega donor, is a boon for Haley, who has lost the first two Republican nominating contests to runaway frontrunner Donald Trump and faces a steep path to clinching the party’s presidential nomination ahead of the November election.
However, it remains unclear whether Griffin made the donations before or after Haley lost the Iowa and New Hampshire contests, on Jan. 15 and Jan. 23, respectively, and whether more donations might follow.
When asked whether Griffin, who runs investment firm Citadel, might donate more to Haley, the person familiar with his thinking said, “We don’t know.”
In a statement to Reuters, Griffin appeared to be focused on the congressional race.
“While voters decide on who will serve as the Republican Party’s nominee for President, I will continue my focus on actively supporting U.S. House and Senate candidates,” Griffin said.
(Reporting By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Alexandra Ulmer, editing by Ross Colvin)
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