The Japanese Company Disclosed the Timing in Response to a June Letter From Sen

SoftBank donated $50 million to the Trump Presidential Library in January, months before announcing a federal land lease to build a data center in Portsmouth, Ohio. The Japanese company disclosed the timing in response to a June letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen.

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), who raised bribery concerns. "Are we expected to believe it's a coincidence that two months after Softbank donated $50 million to the Trump library, his administration announced a massive lease deal for Softbank's data center?

Warren said. In March, SoftBank's SB Energy subsidiary formed a public-private partnership to build "the world's largest AI data center at the US Department of Energy's site in Portsmouth, Ohio, including a gas-fired powerplant with at least 9.2 gigawatts capacity. Lawmakers noted SoftBank previously donated to Reagan and Bush libraries only after those presidents left office and foundations were established.

The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund was dissolved by Florida last September for failing to file an annual report. SoftBank says it contributed to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc., where Eric Trump is a trustee. SoftBank stated the donation supports construction and operation of the library.