Donald Trump money man Robert Mercer funding TV attack on John McCain

Robert Mercer, the Long Island, N.Y., billionaire well-known as a political benefactor of Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, appears to be the financial force behind a television attack ad against Sen. John McCain.

A monthly report made public on Monday reveals that Mercer and his wife, Diana, of East Setauket, N.Y., on July 22 gave $200,000 to KelliPAC, the third-party organization backing Kelli Ward, the better known of two Republican primary challengers to incumbent McCain, R-Ariz.

The disclosure partially explains where KelliPAC got the money for a more than $400,000, two-week TV ad buy blasting McCain this month. As of the end of June, KelliPAC had only $38,775.

The KelliPAC TV ad claims McCain "betrayed us on amnesty" for undocumented immigrants and "joined with liberals to bail out Wall Street and bust the debt limit" and supported military action against Libya. By contrast, the ad portrays Ward as "rock solid on the border and conservative principles."

The latest KelliPAC report also lists a $15,000 contribution from Elloine Clark of Dallas, who also has a long history of giving money to Republican candidates and causes.

The source of the rest of KelliPAC's money so far remains undisclosed.

Lorna Romero, a McCain campaign spokeswoman, said he remains well-positioned to win the nomination from his party as he pursues a sixth Senate term.

"The people of Arizona are well aware of John McCain's record of accomplishment in the U.S. Senate and recognize that we need his leadership now more than ever," Romero said in an email to The Arizona Republic. “KelliPAC’s last-minute infusion of out-of-state cash — something she has hypocritically decried — doesn’t change the fact that she spent taxpayer dollars to explore conspiracy theories, and her positions on key national security issues would weaken our military and put Arizonans at risk."

Fort Mohave-based KelliPAC's treasurer is Doug McKee, who made short-lived bids for the U.S. Senate and Congress during the 2012 election cycle.

Matt Kenney of the pro-McCain Super PAC Arizona Grassroots Action on Thursday filed a complaint with the FEC alleging KelliPAC failed to comply with rules that require a 24-hour notice of more than $1,000 in independent spending within 20 days of an election.

Meanwhile, Kenney's group responded to KelliPAC with its own ad. "Kelli Ward a bold conservative? Think again," the anti-Ward ad says as it continues to make a case against her national-security stances.

Although Mercer is closely associated with Trump, this year's Republican presidential nominee, Trump has endorsed McCain's re-election, as has his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

Mercer may have a personal reason to seek McCain's defeat: McCain was was the ranking Republican member of the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations when it issued a scathing 2014 report criticizing a couple of international banks and several hedge funds, including Mercer's Renaissance Technologies Corp., for claiming "billions of dollars in unjustified tax savings" and skirting "leverage limits that protect the financial system from risky debt."

In other Senate primary race developments, McCain's campaign last week announced the support of 56 retired military leaders, conservative leader and anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, the Arizona Police Association and Arizona Right to Life, a group that opposes abortion rights.

McCain on Wednesday will participate in an event in Scottsdale with Arizona mayors — he has been endorsed by more than 50 — and other local officials who support his re-election.

Ward's campaign on Monday highlighted her endorsement by Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund. She also has the support of the group Gun Owners of America, which has been running radio ads attacking McCain's record on the Second Amendment.

Arizona's Republican Senate primary is Aug. 30, but early voting has been underway for nearly three weeks.

Nowicki is The Republic's national political reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @dannowicki and on his official Facebook page.