Colorado Senator Michael Bennet is running for governor. His biggest out-of-state backer is Michael Bloomberg, who has sent $1.25 million into his campaign. Before we talk about what that means for Colorado, let’s talk about who Michael Bloomberg actually is. Bloomberg appears in 2,782 documents in the DOJ’s official Epstein files. His name is in Epstein’s personal address book (d-15246, EFTA01297437). A flight log in the files places Bloomberg aboard Epstein’s private Boeing 727 on August 5, 2001, traveling from New Jersey to Palm Beach alongside Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Sarah Kellen. Sarah Kellen was later listed by federal prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. That flight happened before Epstein’s 2008 conviction. But the relationship didn’t end there. In 2012, Epstein wrote to an associate about inviting Bloomberg to a private gathering and added: “if Michael in any way feels awkward, tell me — I always prefer that the fewer people that know the better.” Why would Bloomberg’s attendance at a dinner require that kind of secrecy from a convicted sex offender? In 2018 — a full decade after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor — Epstein was invited to a fundraiser hosted by Bloomberg for Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, the delegate representing the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein ran his trafficking operation. Epstein responded by asking how to make the maximum legal donation to Plaskett. The New York Observer 25th Anniversary invitation (EFTA01901849) from 2013 lists Bloomberg as a featured guest alongside Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at an event to which Epstein was also formally invited. Bloomberg has denied wrongdoing. None of this has been charged as a crime. But these are documented facts from the DOJ’s own files. Now let’s talk about what Bloomberg has done with his billions when it comes to Israel and Palestine. Bloomberg flew to Israel on an Israeli airline in 2014 while the FAA had suspended US flights there during Israel’s assault on Gaza — a campaign that killed over 2,200 Palestinians including more than 500 children. He did it, he said, to show solidarity. He called Netanyahu a “great leader and friend” that same year and sided with the Israeli prime minister repeatedly over Barack Obama. At the 2020 AIPAC conference he told 18,000 pro-Israel lobbyists that he would never condition US military aid to Israel regardless of who is prime minister or what policies they pursue. After October 7, Bloomberg donated $44 million to Israeli military ambulance services and committed another $27.8 million to rebuild Israeli cities affected by the war. His Jewish Leadership Council included at least eight past or present AIPAC donors. Bloomberg doesn’t just give to Israel. He gives to politicians who vote to keep the weapons flowing. Which brings us to Michael Bennet. According to TrackAIPAC, using FEC data, Bennet has collected over $460,000 from AIPAC and the Israel lobby over his Senate career. He voted against Bernie Sanders’ resolutions to block over $675 million in weapons sales to Israel, including shipments of 1,000-pound bombs and thousands of bomb guidance kits. He voted to send $3.8 billion in unconditional military aid to Israel through the Strengthening of Israel-US Alliance Act. And when Colorado’s Muslim community organized a gubernatorial debate and asked that Gaza be on the table, Bennet’s campaign pulled out rather than answer for his record. He offered instead to meet privately with Muslim leaders behind closed doors. When a candidate refuses to defend his votes in public, it’s worth asking what he’s protecting. Here is the through line Colorado voters deserve to understand. A billionaire named in 2,782 Epstein file documents — with a documented flight on Epstein’s plane alongside Maxwell and Kellen (flight log, August 5, 2001), his name in Epstein’s personal address book (d-15246, EFTA01297437), a documented 2012 email in which Epstein requested secrecy around Bloomberg’s attendance at private gatherings, and a documented 2018 fundraiser connection to Epstein through Congresswoman Plaskett — has committed $1.25 million to put Michael Bennet in the Colorado governor’s mansion. Bennet has taken over $460,000 from AIPAC and the Israel lobby over his Senate career. He has voted to keep the bombs flowing and refused to face his constituents about it. Who does Michael Bennet work for? Follow the money and you’ll find your answer. Bloomberg has not been charged with any crime. All Epstein file references are drawn from the DOJ EFTA production and are publicly searchable at justice.gov/epstein. Campaign finance figures are sourced from FEC records and TrackAIPAC’s database of pro-Israel lobby contributions.
