The Associated Press reports:
President Donald Trump has announced his first recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and they include the wife of a major Republican Party donor, the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history, Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth. Trump will also posthumously recognize the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Medals are going to Miriam Adelson, a doctor and wife of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a Republican donor; Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is retiring after more than 41 years in the U.S. Senate; former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and Alan Page, who began a legal career after leaving the NFL.
The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Trump is giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the top US civilian honor, to 3 dead people (Elvis, Babe Ruth, Antonin Scalia), a GOP senator (Orrin Hatch), and Miriam Adelson, the wife of GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson, who gave $55 million to elect Republicans in the midterms pic.twitter.com/R90usNwUCP
— David Mack (@davidmackau) November 10, 2018
NEWS: @realDonaldTrump to award Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
CONTEXT: Miriam Adelson, with her billionaire casino mogul husband Sheldon Adelson, contributed more than **$113 million** during Election 2018 to GOP causes. pic.twitter.com/po4y3RVf0S
— Dave Levinthal (@davelevinthal) November 10, 2018
Trump is giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor he can give, to Sheldon Adelson’s wife Miriam. He’s counting on Adelson money to support his 2020 re-election bid. Is handing out honors like this worse than letting donors stay in the Lincoln Bedroom?
— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) November 10, 2018