Sheldon Adelson, GOP donor and Israel conservative, battles cancer

Published: MARCH 2, 2019 17:01

Sheldon Adelson speaks during an inteview (photo credit: REUTERS/TYRONE SIU) — Sheldon Adelson speaks during an inteview

(photo credit: REUTERS/TYRONE SIU)

Adelson gave $30 million to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and $100 million to the GOP for its midterm races in 2018.

WASHINGTON – One of the most influential donors in Republican politics is in “dire health” battling cancer, according to his company attorneys.

Sheldon Adelson, 85, a confidant of US President Donald Trump who conditioned massive contributions to his campaign on his relocating the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, is undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The casino magnate has not appeared in his office since late December, but his absence was first noticed by the public after he missed the company’s January earnings report conference call. Later, a Las Vegas Sands lawyer told a local court that he would not be available for deposition in a case due to his illness.

The Nevada Independent first reported on the news.

Adelson gave $30 million to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and $100 million to the GOP for its midterm races in 2018.

He is an advocate for conservative policy positions on Israel, opposing US aid to the Palestinians and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is the owner of Israeli daily newspaper Israel Hayom.