Robert Kraft has Josh Kraft talking about Robert Kraft and Trump
Of course, Josh Kraft would rather talk about schools, housing, and what he sees as a lack of fiscal discipline under Mayor Michelle Wu. Talking about his father and Trump is, as he said, 'a complete distraction from the issues facing the city of Boston.' But keeping his distance from Robert Kraft isn't that simple — not when he may be benefiting from those family ties.
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In February,
Then, in March,
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A spokesperson for the Kraft Group told the Globe that Robert Kraft was not involved in coordinating any donations from Paul Weiss attorneys to his son's campaign. Got it, no coordination. But just speculating here: What if Robert Kraft mentioned, even casually, that his son is running for mayor? In the hyper-transactional world of business and politics, that could signal that a check would be welcome.
Asked about the Paul Weiss contributions, Josh Kraft told me they came in online, and 'Brad Karp is a huge Democratic donor.' Asked why he thinks Karp would know about or contribute to a Boston mayor's race, he said, 'I have no idea why he gave me the money. Whatever the reason is, he donated. It is what it is.'
Apart from any connection it has to his father, those contributions also connect him to a law firm that capitulated to Trump.
Paul Weiss is
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After the firm committed to provide $40 million in pro bono legal services to support Trump administration initiatives, Trump rescinded the order.
What message does it send to take money from a firm that gave in to Trump? 'The only message it sends is that four people donated to my campaign. That's the message I get,' Josh Kraft said. But in these turbulent, highly partisan times, when who stands up to Trump and who doesn't really matters, it might send a different message to others.
Meanwhile, there's also the mystery of a New England Patriots' plane that was traveling near Guantanamo Bay on Monday. The plane, which according to Axios, is operated by Omni Air International under a partnership with the team, flew from Fort Worth, Texas, to off the coast of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. There are
But according to a statement issued by the Kraft Group and forwarded to me from Josh Kraft's campaign, in this case, the plane 'was not used for any kind of deportation flight and there were no detainees on the plane. Under our current charter manager, neither of the Patriots' planes have ever been used for that purpose. The team planes are operated by a professional charter company when they are not in use by the team. This company manages all logistics, bookings, and operations independently.'
According to the statement, the charter company does use the plane to move military personnel under a contract with the Department of Defense, 'with no financial gain' to the Kraft organization.
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Asked about it, Josh Kraft said, 'As you know, I don't have anything to do with any of that. Zero.'
It's not what Josh Kraft wants to be talking about. But thanks to Robert Kraft, it is what
he is being asked to talk about.
Joan Vennochi is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
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