Arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, US
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
is a multi-purpose
arena
in
Cleveland
, Ohio. The building is the home of the
Cleveland Cavaliers
of the
National Basketball Association
(NBA) and the
Cleveland Monsters
of the
American Hockey League
(AHL). It also serves as a secondary arena for
Cleveland State Vikings
men's and women's basketball.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse opened in October 1994 as part of the
Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex
with adjacent
Progressive Field
, which opened in April of that year. The facility replaced the
Richfield Coliseum
as the primary entertainment facility for the region and the home of the Cavaliers, and supplanted the
Wolstein Center
at
Cleveland State University
, which opened in 1991, as the primary concert and athletic venue in downtown Cleveland. From its opening in October 1994 until August 2005, it was known as
Gund Arena
, named for former Cavaliers owner
Gordon Gund
, after he paid for the
naming rights
. After purchasing a majority of the Cavaliers in March 2005,
Dan Gilbert
bought the naming rights in August 2005 and renamed the building
Quicken Loans Arena
after his mortgage lending company
Quicken Loans
. It was renamed in April 2019 when Quicken Loans rebranded to
Rocket Mortgage
, as part of the facility's renovation and expansion.
[7]
[8]
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse seats 19,432 people in its basketball configuration and up to 18,926 for ice hockey. It is a frequent site for concerts and other athletic events, such as the
men's
and
women's
basketball tournaments of the
Mid-American Conference
(MAC), hosting since 2000 and 2001, respectively. It has also been the host venue for two NCAA Division I Women's
Final Fours
, in
2007
and
2024
; opening and regional semifinal games in the
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
; two
U.S. Figure Skating Championships
, in
2000
and
2009
; and the
2016 Republican National Convention
.
History
[
edit
]
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was preceded in downtown Cleveland by the
Cleveland Arena
, a facility built in 1937 with a
seating capacity
for basketball of approximately 12,000. It was best known as the site of the
Moondog Coronation Ball
in 1952, widely regarded as the first
rock and roll
concert.
[9]
Cleveland Arena was the first home of the Cavaliers in 1970.
[9]
The Cleveland Arena was also the home of an earlier professional basketball team, the
Cleveland Rebels
of the
Basketball Association of America
, the original
Cleveland Barons
ice hockey team, and hosted several games of the
Cincinnati Royals
of the NBA in the 1960s. By 1970, however, Cleveland Arena was outdated and in disrepair. The Cavs played there their first four seasons. It was replaced in 1974 by the 20,273-seat
Richfield Coliseum
, located in
Richfield
, between Cleveland and
Akron
.
[9]
During the 1980s, the site of the Central Market, a fruit and vegetable market that dated back to 1856, was selected for construction of a multi-purpose domed stadium for the
Cleveland Browns
and
Cleveland Indians
, but the ballot measure to fund it was defeated by voters. The market site was acquired in 1985 and cleared in 1987 in a continued push for new downtown sports facilities by city and business leaders. In 1990, voters approved a
sin tax
on alcohol and tobacco products in Cuyahoga County to fund the
Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex
, which includes the FieldHouse and adjacent Progressive Field.
[10]
Construction began in 1992 with the ballpark opening in April 1994 and the arena in October 1994.
[11]
[12]
The arena opened with a concert by
Billy Joel
on October 17, 1994. The Cavaliers played their first regular-season game in the arena a few weeks later, a loss to the
Houston Rockets
on November 8, 1994.
[13]
As part of his purchase of the team and the arena naming rights in 2005,
Dan Gilbert
, owner of
Quicken Loans
, funded renovations of the arena, which included installing new wine-colored seats, state-of-the-art
scoreboards
, video systems, and sound systems, new arena graphics and signage, and upgrades to security, locker rooms, and the suites, all of which were in place for the start of the Cavaliers'
2005?2006 season
, except for the seats, which were replaced a few sections at a time.
Gilbert purchased the then-inactive
Utah Grizzlies
franchise of the
American Hockey League
on May 16, 2006, and announced that it would move to Quicken Loans Arena to replace the departed
Cleveland Barons
. The team name was announced as the Lake Erie Monsters on January 25, 2007, and began play in the 2007?08 season. The Lake Erie Monsters changed their name to the
Cleveland Monsters
on August 9, 2016.
The
Las Vegas Gladiators
of the
Arena Football League
announced on October 16, 2007, that they would move to Quicken Loans Arena, becoming the
Cleveland Gladiators
.
Improvements
[
edit
]
In December 2016, the Cavaliers announced plans for renovations to the arena that included an increase in the square footage of the concourses and open areas, along with upgrades throughout the building.
[14]
The plan, which relied partly on tax money for funding, faced opposition from activist groups including the
Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus
and the Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC).
[15]
[16]
After the groups submitted signatures to force a referendum on the plan, the Cavaliers announced that they were withdrawing from the plan, citing rising costs and delays caused by the prospective referendum.
[17]
However, in August 2017, after Cuyahoga County made a non-binding commitment to build two mental health crisis centers, the GCC withdrew its petitions.
[18]
[19]
In December 2017, the team stated it was moving forward with the renovations. The project was finished in September of 2019 by
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
, with the final cost being approximately $185 million.
[20]
[21]
Design and operations
[
edit
]
The arena seats 19,432 for basketball, with 2,000 club seats and 88
luxury suites
. Seating is divided into three levels, with two main levels of suites and five "platinum suites" on the event level. Around the seating there are two main concourses, one on the ground level to access the 100 level seating and 32 lower suites, and an upper concourse for the top 200 level seating. The lower concourse also includes the ticket office and the two-level main team shop. In between is the club level, which provides access to the 60 upper suites and club seating. Also on the club level is an auxiliary gym, which was used by the Cavaliers as their main practice court until the opening of the Cleveland Clinic Courts practice facility in 2007.
In the hockey and arena football configuration, capacity is 18,926. During most Monsters games, the upper-level seating is closed and covered by a large curtain, reducing capacity to 9,447. In the basketball configuration, when the upper-level seating is closed, capacity is listed at 11,751. 60% of the seating is located in the lower two levels.
[22]
The seating capacity was reduced in 2018 as part of a major renovation project that expanded the concourses, removed three sections of seating in the upper level, and updated other parts of the facility. From the opening of the arena until 2018, seating capacity for basketball was listed at 20,562, with a maximum for ice hockey and arena football at 20,056.
[23]
The main scoreboard at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, nicknamed
Humongotron
, is the fourth largest scoreboard used in an NBA arena. It was installed in October 2014,
[24]
On the roof of the building is a large LED message board that measures 360 feet (110 m) by 90 feet (27 m). The sign was approved by the Cleveland City Planning Commission in March 2016 with the stipulation that only the arena's name or its naming rights sponsor can be shown. Any other use of the sign needs commission approval.
[25]
[26]
The arena, along with neighboring
Progressive Field
and an adjacent parking garage, is owned by the Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland, an entity made up of members appointed by the governments of the city of Cleveland and
Cuyahoga County
. Gateway leases the arena to the Cavaliers, who also manage the
Cleveland Monsters
.
[27]
In March 2017, in partnership with the non-profit organization KultureCity, the Cavaliers officially introduced the availability of
accommodations
during all events for guests with hypersensitivity needs, such as attendees with
autism spectrum
disorders. This includes staff training, free "sensory bags" with headphones, a blanket, and other items geared towards attendees with sensory needs, as well as a
sensory room
and exemptions from re-entry policies if they are overwhelmed by the environment. The arena became the first in the NBA to be certified by KultureCity as being "sensory inclusive".
[28]
[29]
Tenants
[
edit
]
Current
[
edit
]
As the home of the Cavaliers and Monsters, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has hosted a number of notable events for each team, including playoff and championship games. Through the 2020?2021 season, the Cavs have hosted playoff games in 12 of their 27 seasons at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, including games three and four of the
2007 NBA Finals
,
2017 Finals
,
2018 Finals
and games three, four, and six of the
2015
and
2016 Finals
. The arena was also the site of the
1997 NBA All-Star Game
, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the NBA, and it also hosted the
2022 All-Star Game
, honoring the league's 75th anniversary.
The Monsters made their playoff debut in 2011 and returned to the playoffs in 2016. In the
2016 Calder Cup playoffs
, the team advanced to the
Calder Cup
final and swept the
Hershey Bears
in four games for their first Calder Cup in franchise history. Games three and four were held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Game four, held on June 11, was a sell-out and drew 19,665 fans, which set a record for largest crowd to ever see a professional hockey game in the state of Ohio and the second-largest postseason crowd in
American Hockey League
history.
[30]
Former
[
edit
]
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has been home to other franchises that have either relocated or folded. When it opened in 1994, in addition to being home of the Cavaliers, it was also the home arena for the
Cleveland Lumberjacks
of the
International Hockey League
(IHL). The Lumberjacks played at the arena until 2001, when the team folded along with the IHL. Later that year, a new incarnation of the
Cleveland Barons
, who played in the American Hockey League, began play and were tenants at the arena until 2006 when the team moved to
Worcester, Massachusetts
.
The
Cleveland Gladiators
of the
Arena Football League
qualified for the playoffs in six of their nine seasons in Cleveland and hosted playoff games in 2008, 2011, and 2014. During the 2014 season, the team finished 15?1 overall and advanced to
ArenaBowl XXVII
, which was held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The game drew 18,410 fans and was held at the same time as a
Cleveland Browns
home preseason game at
FirstEnergy Stadium
, and a
Cleveland Indians
home game at adjacent
Progressive Field
.
[31]
[32]
Two women's professional teams have also called the arena home. From 1997 to 2003, the
Cleveland Rockers
, one of the eight charter members of the
Women's National Basketball Association
(WNBA), played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The team folded after the
2003 WNBA season
because the Gunds, who still owned the Cavs at that point, no longer wished to operate the Rockers franchise, and a new ownership group could not be obtained. The
Cleveland Crush
of the
Lingerie Football League
played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for their 2011?12 and 2012?13 seasons before moving to
Toledo, Ohio
, in late 2013.
[33]
Events
[
edit
]
College sports
[
edit
]
In addition to its professional sports tenants, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has hosted several intercollegiate sporting events. It has been home to the
Mid-American Conference
(MAC)
men's basketball tournament
since 2000 and the MAC
MAC women's basketball tournament
since 2001. "MAC Madness," as it is known, has become a strong draw for the arena. The men's semi-final and championship games routinely draw 10,000?15,000 attendees. In addition, the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has served as a host for games of the
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
, hosting early-round games in
2011
and regional semi-final and final games in
2015
.
[34]
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has also hosted games for the
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
, hosting regional semi-finals and finals for the
2006 tournament
and the Final Four and national championship games in the
2007 tournament
and the
2024 tournament
.
In 2015, it was announced that arena management and
Cleveland State University
came to an agreement where select
Cleveland State Vikings
men's and women's basketball games would take place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, while the arena would essentially take over operations of the
Wolstein Center
, CSU's primary home arena, being in charge of promoting and booking events at the venue.
[35]
The arena has hosted numerous
WWE
professional wrestling cards, including pay?per?view events such as:
Boxing
[
edit
]
On August 29, 2021, Cleveland native and internet personality turned professional boxer
Jake Paul
took on former
UFC
Welterweight Champion
Tyron Woodley
in an 8-round
professional boxing match
. Paul won the eight round bout via split decision in front of a nearly sold-out Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
[37]
Other events
[
edit
]
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was selected in July 2014 as the host site for the
2016 Republican National Convention
. The arena hosted the first Republican presidential debate of the 2016 election, aired by
Fox News Channel
, on August 6, 2015. The convention was held July 18?21, 2016.
[38]
Records obtained by the
Center for Public Integrity
show that
Comcast
,
Microsoft
, the
American Petroleum Institute
,
Chevron
,
Koch Companies Public Sector
,
PhRMA
, and other trade and lobby groups, "funded a limited liability company called 'Friends of the House 2016 LLC' to pay for "the design and outfitting of an exclusive office, lounge and gathering space, called the 'cloakroom', for Republican lawmakers" on the Cleveland Cavaliers practice court Quicken Loans Arena. The Cleveland 2016 Host Committee, who "facilitated construction of the 'cloakroom" space', received $923,100 from the Friends of the House 2016 LLC."
[39]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Farkas, Karen (May 5, 2017).
"Bonds for Quicken Loans Arena Delayed Until Referendum Issue Resolved"
.
The Plain Dealer
. Cleveland
. Retrieved
May 5,
2017
.
Komoroski and Offtermatt spoke after a Gateway Economic Development Corp. board meeting...The non-profit organization, a joint entity created by the city and county, owns the arena and Progressive Field and enforces the team leases on behalf of the county.
- ^
1634?1699:
McCusker, J. J.
(1997).
How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda
(PDF)
.
American Antiquarian Society
.
1700?1799:
McCusker, J. J.
(1992).
How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States
(PDF)
.
American Antiquarian Society
.
1800?present:
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
"Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800?"
. Retrieved
February 29,
2024
.
- ^
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. Ellerbe Becket. Archived from
the original
on July 18, 2011
. Retrieved
July 7,
2010
.
- ^
Project Management Consultants: Project Profiles ? Ballparks, Stadium & Arenas
Archived
November 4, 2011, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
PCI Journal ? March/April 1994
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Quicken Loans Arena
[
dead link
]
at emporis.com
- ^
"Quicken Loans Arena to be Renamed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse"
.
Cavs.com
(Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. April 10, 2019
. Retrieved
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.
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Fedor, Chris (April 9, 2019).
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"
.
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. Retrieved
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.
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a
b
c
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.
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.
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.
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. Retrieved
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Basketball-Reference. November 8, 1994
. Retrieved
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.
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. National Basketball Association.
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. Retrieved
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.
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- ^
Farkas, Karen (February 10, 2017).
"No Public Money for Q Improvements, Says Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus"
.
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. Cleveland
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Miller, Jay (December 27, 2017).
"Top 10 Government and Economic Development Stories of 2017"
.
Crain's Cleveland Business
. Retrieved
January 3,
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.
- ^
"Cavaliers Withdraw From $140 Million Quicken Loans Arena transformation project"
. Cleveland:
WEWS-TV
. August 29, 2017
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Allard, Sam (August 31, 2017).
"The Q Deal is Alive and Well ? How GCC Compromised to Resuscitate It"
.
Cleveland Scene
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Higgs, Robert (August 31, 2017).
"Petitions Seeking Referendum on The Q Upgrades Withdrawn, Ending Challenge by Greater Cleveland Congregations"
.
The Plain Dealer
. Cleveland
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Astolfi, Courtney (September 24, 2019).
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.
Cleveland.com
. Advance Local Media LLC
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
"Topping Off Ceremony Marks Construction Milestone for The Q Transformation"
.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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. Quicken Loans Arena. 2015. Archived from
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on September 17, 2018
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Astolfi, Courtney (September 28, 2018).
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.
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. Cleveland. Archived from
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on December 26, 2019
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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.
Bleacher Report
. October 27, 2014
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Jarboe, Michelle (March 18, 2016).
"Cleveland Cavaliers' Plan for Giant LED Sign Atop The Q Gets Planning Commission's OK"
.
The Plain Dealer
. Cleveland
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Allard, Sam (May 18, 2016).
"The New 'Quicken Loans Arena' LED Sign Debuted Last Night"
.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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. Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland. 2013
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Winfield, Kristian (March 31, 2017).
"Cleveland Cavaliers Have First Sensory Inclusive Sporting Arena. Here's What That Means and Why It Matters"
.
SB Nation
. Retrieved
April 1,
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.
- ^
Noga, Joe (March 30, 2017).
"Cavaliers Debut The Quiet Space Sensory Room Aimed at Expanding Accessibility Inside The Q"
.
The Plain Dealer
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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(Press release).
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. June 11, 2016. Archived from
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on June 13, 2016
. Retrieved
June 24,
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.
- ^
Warsinskey, Tim (August 10, 2014).
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.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Boone, Faith (August 22, 2014).
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. Cleveland:
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. Archived from
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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"Cleveland Crush Franchise Will Relocate to Toledo"
.
CleveScene
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
"2011 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship"
. Quicken Loans Arena. March 19, 2010. Archived from
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on July 26, 2010
. Retrieved
July 7,
2010
.
- ^
"Quicken Loans Arena and Cleveland State University Announce Partnership to Grow the Sports and Entertainment Landscape in Downtown Cleveland"
. Quicken Loans Arena
. Retrieved
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2016
.
- ^
"WWE Fastlane 2019 location and date announced"
.
SportsWhy
. December 13, 2018
. Retrieved
December 15,
2018
.
- ^
"Paul vs. Woodley - Fight | SHOWTIME"
.
- ^
Walshe, Shushannah & Klein, Rick (July 8, 2014).
"Republicans Choose Cleveland As 2016 Convention Site"
.
ABC News
. Retrieved
July 27,
2014
.
- ^
Levine, Carrie (October 18, 2017).
"Republican lawmakers' posh hideaway bankrolled by secret corporate cash"
.
Center for Public Integrity
. Retrieved
December 29,
2017
.
Bank records: Comcast, Microsoft, Koch helped fund GOP convention 'cloakroom'
External links
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]
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