Employees and officials at the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security donated far more money to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign than they did to then-GOP nominee Donald Trump’s effort, according to an analysis by The Epoch Times.
DoD employee donations to Clinton and Trump were made at a 5:1 ratio; for every one donor to Trump, five donated to the Clinton campaign, according to the paper’s analysis of Federal Election Commission data.
The pattern for DHS employees was similar, according to FEC data between 2015 and 2019.
The lopsided donations are notable, the paper said, because Trump campaigned on strengthening the U.S. border, enforcing all immigration laws, and spending more on defense to bolster forces after eight years of cuts during the Obama administration.
Within the Defense Department, 854 employees made more than 3,100 individual contributions to Clinton for a total of almost $368,000. The average donation was $117.
Meanwhile, The Epoch Times’ analysis found that just 116 DoD employees sent checks to the Trump campaign, making 590 individual donations worth $202,067.
The average donation to the Trump campaign was higher than those to Clinton, $342 versus $117.
“Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is not without support within DOD, as between his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, 120 defense workers contributed more than $35,000, at an average of $50 each for 697 individual donations,” the paper reported.
Liberal political organizations also received more money from DoD and DHS employees, the analysis found.
Those groups include Act Blue, Emily’s List, and Move.org.
In addition, The Epoch Times found that most contributions from the Justice Department also went to Clinton during the 2016 election cycle.
Clinton received 2,824 contributions from 414 DOJ employees, totaling $493,081, with an average donation of $175, during the 2016 campaign, versus Trump, who received donations from 43 people totaling just under $15,000.