Karl Rove connects Carson to big donors: report

Republican strategist Karl Rove arranged a meeting between fundraisers for GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson and casino tycoon Steve Wynn, Bloomberg is reporting.

Wynn is an occasional business competitor of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, whose campaign sees the meeting as an attempt by the GOP establishment to help Carson topple his chief rival in the primary race.

{mosads}”Karl Rove is at the center of the GOP establishment — fearful of what real leadership in Washington D.C. will accomplish,” Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told Bloomberg in a statement. “Mr. Trump continues to expose the all-talk, no action politicians propped up their dark money super PACs that have failed the American people for far too long.”

The news that Rove organized a meeting between Carson fundraisers and Wynn comes amidst growing reports that established GOP activists are mobilizing to halt Trump’s ascension.

Last week, a Wall Street Journal report revealed that Republican operative Liz Mair has formed a guerilla-style campaign “to defeat and destroy” Trump’s candidacy. Trump Card LLC allows private anti-Trump donations.

“The stark reality is that unless something dramatic and unconventional is done, Trump will be the Republican nominee and Hillary Clinton will become president,” said an internal memo that the Journal obtained.

The self-proclaimed Washington outsider has consistently lead primary polls through the summer, hovering around the 30 percent mark.

Earlier this week on Bloomberg’s “With All Due Respect,” Rove listed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as the most likely candidates to dislodge Trump when “the other 70 to 75 percent of the party begins to coalesce behind somebody.”

Rove is a former White House deputy chief of staff under the George W. Bush administration and is now an influential Republican strategist and policy adviser. Widely touted as a key architect behind Bush’s 2000 and 2004 victories, he has yet to sign on to a 2016 campaign.

Wynn has tangled with Trump in business dealings dating back to the 1990s, but in September signed on the real estate mogul’s campaign as an “unofficial adviser,” according to FOX Business.

The date of Wynn’s meeting with Carson’s advisers is not known.

Wynn in June donated $25,000 to a super-PAC that backs Christie’s presidential bid, according to Bloomberg.

Following the Journal report, Trump again raised speculation that he might be considering a third-party run.

“.WSJ reports that @GOP getting ready to treat me unfairly — big spending planned against me. That wasn’t the deal!” Trump tweeted Monday.