US Ambassador to Singapore Anjani Sinha named in report on Trump backers who ‘reaped rewards’

PHILADELPHIA – An American think tank has named US Ambassador to Singapore, Anjani Sinha, in a list of individuals who allegedly benefited from making contributions to President Donald Trump’s political operations, pet projects and family firms.Amb Sinha made a US$1 million (S$1.28 million) donation to a political action committee (PAC) aligned with Trump, which he failed to disclose during his 2025 Senate confirmation hearing, said the report released by the Center for American Progress (CAP), a progressive think tank.It quoted findings from the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington DC-based non-partisan legal organisation, to say that Sinha “gave US$1 million to MAGA Inc in Feb 2025 and was nominated to be ambassador to Singapore the following month”.It further notes that Sinha “failed to disclose this contribution to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee despite a legal obligation to do so”.Checks by ST on the Federal Election Commission website showed that the donation was made on Feb 20, 2025.A check of published Congressional records related to Sinha’s confirmation hearing, however, did not show the million-dollar donation, although other donations made by Sinha and his family members were listed.The Straits Times asked the US Embassy in Singapore on Nov 10 to confirm the accuracy of the report. The embassy referred inquiries to the US State Department in Washington, DC, which did not respond to requests for comment.MAGA Inc is a super PAC founded on Sept 23, 2022, to support Trump and candidates aligned with his platform. It can raise and spend unlimited sums of money independently to support or oppose political candidates, run television and digital advertisements and fund vote turnout efforts.Trump announced Sinha as his nominee for Ambassador to Singapore on March 11, 2025, via a post on Truth Social. It was received by the Senate at the end of April.His confirmation hearing, a tempestuous affair during which he was criticised by senators for inadequate knowledge of US-Singapore relations, took place on July 9, 2025.The US$1 million contribution was not reported to the public until MAGA Inc filed its mid-year report on July 31, after Sinha’s nomination was already reported favourably out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.Records from the US Federal Election Commission show that Dr Anjani Sinha made a US$1 million donation to Maga Inc on Feb 20, 2025. PHOTO: US FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSIONHe was subsequently confirmed in a Senate vote on Oct 7, 2025.Long-standing practiceIt is a long-standing and common practice in the US for presidents to appoint their political backers, campaign donors and close allies to high-profile diplomatic posts, particularly as ambassadors and special envoys.The CAP noted that its report was “not intended to assert quid-pro-quo corruption on the part of any individuals or entities – or, for that matter, the Trump administration – as political donations and access to government officials are part of the firmament of how American politics and government function.”Its Nov 2 report titled ‘Tracking the Return on Investment of Trump’s Backers’ names more than 75 individuals and entities that have contributed nearly US$1.7 billion to Trump’s political operations and personal projects, including his inauguration, the White House ballroom renovation and family-owned companies.“These individuals and entities have reaped or will reap benefits conservatively estimated at approximately US$183 billion,” said CAP.List of donations related to Dr Anjani Sinha's July 2025 confirmation hearing for the post of US Ambassador to Singapore. The list shows donations made by Sinha and his family members but does not show that he made a US$1m donation in February 2025 to Maga Inc. PHOTO: CONGRESS.GOVThe report also pointed out the large donations made by ambassadors appointed to other nations – Warren Stephen (US$9 million), Howard Brodie (US$5 million) and Benjamin Leon (US$4.5 million), envoys to the United Kingdom, Finland and Spain respectively.Will Ragland, a co-author of the report, told ST that the purpose of the report was to provide a roadmap for congressional oversight on potential corruption.“The goal was to have a resource that lays bare who is giving to the administration and some of the benefits that they have received. Not necessarily drawing any causation from that,” said Ragland, the vice president of research for the advocacy department at CAP.Several US media organisations have reported on corruption allegations and instances of self dealing related to the Trump administration but the White House has pushed back against such claims.Bhagyashree Garekar is The Straits Times’ US bureau chief. Her previous key roles were as the newspaper’s foreign editor (2020-2023) and as its US correspondent during the Bush and Obama administrations.