Thread by @propublica

THREAD: ProPublica’s recent investigation into how some of America’s wealthiest and most politically connected cashed in on a Trump tax break intended to help the poor is now cited in a @NYTimes editorial. /1
nytimes.com/2019/11/16/opi…

Here’s an excerpt from the NYT op-ed citing our reporting on Wayne Huizenga Jr. lobbying Florida’s then-Gov. Rick Scott to create an opportunity zone to help Huizenga’s “superyacht marina.” /2

And here’s the original story from @ProPublica on a tax break meant for low-income areas that went to a marina for yachts with their own on-board helicopters. /3
propublica.org/article/supery…

But it’s not just heirs to the Waste Management and Blockbuster fortunes that are benefitting from opportunity zones. There’s Cleveland Cavs owner & Quicken Loans billionaire Dan Gilbert. /4
propublica.org/article/how-a-…

And let’s not forget billionaire Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, who got a huge tax break for a plot of land under a highway in Baltimore. /5
propublica.org/article/trump-…

This past week, @indystar reported on how opportunity zones were being used to benefit already-booming downtown Indianapolis developments while ignoring neighborhoods in actual need. /6
indystar.com/story/money/20…

Then there’s this recent @nytimes piece on Treasury Secy. Mnuchin personally intervening to designate a Nevada opportunity zone that benefited junk bond king Michael Milken, the man who inspired “Wall Street”’s Gordon Gekko. /7
nytimes.com/2019/10/26/bus…

These are just the ones we and others have found so far. Now, some lawmakers are trying to rein in these giveaways to the rich. /8
propublica.org/article/billio…

We’re still digging. Don’t miss our next story. Sign up here:
go.propublica.org/bigstory-social