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Trone to fund legal aid for families who could be impacted by travel ban

June 1, 2017 at 3:19 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON, DC - David Trone, founder of Total Wine & More and a former congressional candidate is giving $100,000 to provide legal assistance to any Montgomery County resident affected by President Trump’s proposed travel ban. (Marlon Correa/El Tiempo Latino)

Potomac wine executive and likely 2018 candidate David Trone announced a $100,000 grant Thursday through his private foundation for legal assistance to Montgomery County families who may be affected by President Trump's proposed ban on travel to the U.S. from six Muslim-majority countries.

The David and June Trone Family Foundation said the money is going to the Catholic Legal Immigration Network to hire an attorney. Other grants of unspecified amounts will go to Interfaith Works, CASA and the Montgomery Chapter of the ACLU.

“The Trump administration's action is an attack on the basic freedoms Americans hold dear and an affront to all of us,” Trone said in a statement. “June, our children and I are committed to doing whatever is needed to protect the rights of our neighbors affected by this outrageous policy.”

According to the statement, the money will pay for legal help if and when the ban goes into effect.

Last week a federal appeals court kept in place a lower-court injunction against the ban, which would temporarily freeze issuance of visas to citizens of Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

Trone’s foundation has made numerous large donations local institutions, including $2.5 million last month to Suburban Hospital.

Trone, co-founder of Total Wine & More, spent a record $13 million of his own money in last year's 8th Congressional District Democratic primary, losing to then-State Sen. Jamie Raskin.

He is expected to become a 2018 candidate for either Montgomery County Executive or Maryland’s 6th Congressional District seat — if incumbent Rep. John Delaney (D) opts to run for governor. Delaney is expected to announce his plans sometime this month.

Thursday’s grant announcement came from Alex Koren, who is listed as vice president of Hickman Analytics, the polling and political consulting firm Trone used in 2016.