A controversial donor to both former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who once called former President Barack Obama a “f–ing Muslim N—” — allegedly shot himself last week in an attempted murder-suicide.
Steve Alembik, 72, was pronounced dead after shooting himself and an unidentified woman in the parking lot of a BurgerFi store in Delray Beach on October 10, according to the Miami Herald.
The woman in her 40s, believed to be Alembik’s wife, survived after she crashed into the burger chain with gunshot wounds to her arm and back, and was taken to a local hospital.
Alembik is known as a major GOP donor, giving more than $200,000 in political contributions over the past 20 years — including thousands to Trump and DeSantis, according to the Herald.
But he came under fire in 2018, when he referred to former President Obama as a “f–ing Muslim N—” and claimed then-Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg “can’t die soon.”
Steve Alembik, 72, has been confirmed dead after shooting himself and an unidentified woman in the parking lot of a BurgerFi store in Delray Beach.Steve Alembik/Facebook
Alembik later claimed he was not racist and regretted the tweet — but argued he should be allowed to use the “n-word.”
“So someone like Chris Rock can get on stage and use that word and there’s no problem? But some white guy said it and he’s a racist? Really?” he asked Politico.
“I grew up in New York in the 50s,” Alembik continued.
“We are ki–s. They are n—s. They are goyim, and they are sp–s.”
Alembik is known as a major GOP donor, giving more than $200,000 in political contributions over the past 20 years.Steve Alembik/Facebook
At the time of the tweet, Alembik — known for his flamboyant flag suits — was donating to then-Florida Governor Rick Scott, who was running for Senate, and to DeSantis, who was seeking to take Scott’s seat in the governor’s mansion. .
Both the Scott and DeSantis campaigns distanced themselves from Alembik afterward, with Scott saying he donated the $1,100 he received from Alembik to Shriners Hospital.
A political action committee supporting the DeSantis campaign also returned $11,000 it received from a self-employed email and data service provider, but the campaign said $4,000 it gave separately was spent and cannot be returned.
However, the campaign condemned the tweet and said it would no longer take any money from Alembik, according to the Miami Herald.
The woman, believed to be Alembik’s wife, survived after she crashed into the burger chain with gunshot wounds to her arm and back.Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
But Desantis’ re-election campaign and the state PAC supporting the campaign, Friends of Ron DeSantis, will continue to receive more than $5,000 from Alembik in 2021 and 2022, according to records obtained by the Herald.
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Alembik also made headlines in 2017, when he moved a charity gala for his newly formed pro-Israel nonprofit, Truth About Israel, to Mar-a-Lago after nearly 20 mainstream charities pulled their events from the venue over Trump’s remarks that there are “a lot of good people” in Charlotteville, according to the Washington Post.
He worked with a promoter to drive ticket sales for the event on Chinese social media platforms by showing that attendees would have access to the former president, the Herald reported.
But Trump never planned to attend the event, as the annual Governors Ball was scheduled for the same night.
Alembik also faced backlash at the event for its lack of seating charts and halal food, according to the Herald.
But he tried to make the most of it, telling 400 people in the grand ballroom: “This president has stood up for Israel like no president since Ronald Reagan.”
He said when he heard other “no-thorns” organizations were pulling their events from Mar-a-Lago, “I picked up the phone, I called Mar-a-Lago, they thought I was calling to cancel some other gala or some event, and I said no. I want to come here and show our support for the president of the United States.”
In total, Alembik raised more than $7,500 for the Trump-supporting committee.
The Post has reached out to both the Trump and DeSantis campaigns for comment.
The motive for the shooting is unclear, but those who know Alembik say he has a history of mental health issues.
“Unfortunately, those of us who know Steve understand that he struggles with his mental health at times,” Laura Loomer, a pro-Trump activist, wrote in what appears to be a now-deleted tweet, according to the Herald.
He was previously arrested in December 2018 on domestic violence charges that were later dismissed through pre-trial diversion, the Herald reported.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
