A new feature in Bloomberg reveals Trump donor and hedge fund CEO Robert Mercer’s bizarre history as a volunteer police office in Lake Arthur, New Mexico. Between 2011 and 2017, Mercer spent at least six days as a patrolman each year in Lake Arthur’s department, which relies largely on volunteers to police the 433-person population. The almost-certain reason for Mercer’s volunteering is the 2004 Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, which allows law enforcement personnel concealed carry rights in any state, regardless of that state’s own laws. Mercer is a well-known gun fanatic and gun manufacturer, and his tenure in Lake Arthur allowed him to circumvent laws that otherwise would have limited where he could carry a weapon. Mercer has most recently been in the news for bankrolling Cambridge Analytica, the firm in hot water for stealing data from more than 50 million Facebook users.
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