Robert Murray, CEO of the coal company Murray Energy Corporation, will host a private fundraising event for President Trump in Wheeling, West Virginia on July 24, 2019, according to an event invitation obtained by Documented.
The event has been widely reported. Documented is the first to publish the invitation to the event as well as a letter from Murray to the West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, requesting his participation. The West Virginia MetroNews reported that Governor Justice “intends to be there.”
“The future of the coal industry and our family livelihoods depend on President Trump being re-elected,” the letter states. “All twenty Democrats who have announced that they are running for President against him have, as you know, vowed to eliminate the use of coal. Democrat members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives are currently doing the same.”
Murray Energy Corporation contributed $300,000 to President Trump’s inauguration committee and the Trump administration has provided several wins for the coal industry. Most recently, the EPA finalized the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, which replaced the Obama Administration’s efforts to combat climate change called the Clean Power Plan.
The event invitation and letter to Governor Justice, which was obtained through a public records request made to the West Virginia’s Governor’s office, can be viewed below and here.