Palmer Luckey’s fundraising emails expose deep GOP ties as Anduril lands massive contracts

A series of July emails reveal that Palmer Luckey, co-founder of defense contractor Anduril Industries, hosted exclusive fundraisers where participants could spend $50,000 for a seat at a private dinner with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and senior Capitol Hill officials, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate hopeful Mike Rogers. A GOP insider called Luckey the top-tier fundraiser on the West Coast, noting his role in bundling large sums beyond his own $5.9 million in donations since 2017.

Anduril, founded nine years ago, has secured a $20 billion sole-source Army contract for drones and is slated to work on the “Golden Dome” space-based interceptor project, valued at up to $1.2 trillion. While co-CEO Brian Schimpf has given $1.16 million to Democratic candidates, the majority of political contributions from the firm flow to Republican campaigns, including events for Trump, Tom Cotton, Rick Scott, and Mehmet Oz.

The emails also document a $150,000 lunch with President Trump at Luckey’s waterfront home and ongoing ties to senior defense officials such as Secretary Pete Hegseth. Luckey declined to comment on the investigation.