by
Dan Gilbert
Dan Gilbert's Quicken Loans was among the big corporations in the nation that contributed generously to Donald Trump's presidential inauguration.
Quicken Loans donated $750,000, more than Michigan-based corporate giants like General Motors ($498,650), Ford Motor Co. ($250,000), John Rakolta of Walbridge construction ($250,000) and David Fisher of the Suburban Collection ($250,000).
Quicken Loans also gave more than some of the other corporate giants in America like Chevron ($525,000), American Financial Group ($500,000), Intel ($500,000), JPMorgan Chase and Co. ($500,000), Citgo Petroleum ($500,000) and BP Corporation of North America ($500,000), reports Dave Levinthal of the Center for Public Integrity.
The disclosure came in a new filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Critics of every presidential administration have regularly complained that such sizeable contributions are done to curry favor with the people in power.
Gilbert's Quicken Loans firms is currently engaged in a big lawsuit with the Justice Department.
The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in April 2015, alleging that the Detroit-based mortgage giant ignored red flags on bad home loans that cost the government millions of dollars. Quicken Loans has refused to reach a settlement, insisting it has done nothing wrong.
Last month, a federal judge in Detroit denied Quicken Loans' request to dismiss the lawsuit, setting the stage for a high-stakes trial if an out-of-court settlement can't be reached with Dan Gilbert's company.
Whether a change in administrations will change the Justice Department's approach to the case is unclear.
Gilbert didn't support Trump during the primaries. Instead, he contributed $1.25 million to a super PAC that supported New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and $100,000 to New Day for America, the super PAC that supported Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
He reportedly did not donate to Trump's campaign in the general election.
In October, Gilbert got caught in the middle of a controversy after reports surfaced that a fundraiser for Trump was held in downtown Detroit at Chrysler House at Griswold and Fort streets, an office building Gilbert owns.
A spokesperson for Gilbert later issued a statement saying that the GOP, not Gilbert hosted the event, and that Gilbert had not publicly backed either presidential candidate.
