Warren Buffett didn't realize his Hillary Clinton contribution went to a super PAC
"I didn't know it was a super PAC," he told CNN on Thursday about his gift to the group.
Ready for Hillary was established in 2013 to encourage former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to launch a White House bid. The PAC raised nearly $9 million in 2014, with donors including Steve Jobs' widow, Laurene Powell-Jobs, and actors like Michael Douglas and Alec Baldwin. Buffett chipped in his contribution in December of last year.
Because Ready for Hillary set a maximum contribution as $25,000, Buffett said he assumed it wasn't a super PAC, which can receive unlimited contributions.
"They had a maximum, which was $25,000. I think of super PACs as these things with hundreds of thousands or millions in them. I am not for super PACs but it's absolutely true I contributed $25,000 which I later found out was a super PAC," he said.
Buffett reiterated that he wants Clinton to be president but said that he wouldn't be a billionaire benefactor for her presumed campaign.
"I support her. I would not write a huge check. I would go out and raise money for her. I'd be delighted to do that. I would hope to do it. I did some of that in 2008. I just don't believe that the election should be decided by the super rich," he said.
Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, also weighed in on the controversy over Clinton's exclusive use of personal emails as secretary of state, which reportedly violated federal guidelines, among other potential issues.
"I'd like to see her emails too. There's a curiosity factor," he said about the ordeal, though he brushed aside suggestions the scandal would derail her chances for a White House bid. "What I care about is what she believes in and her ability to get what she believes in turned into law."