Question: If Obama fundraiser and largest Solyndra stakeholder George Kaiser recently had a net worth of 12 billion dollars, why did taxpayers ever have to put one cent on the line for Solyndra?

The Sunlight Foundation: Solyndra Investor Had Three White House Meetings on Energy Policy

Kaiser, who Forbes ranks as the 31st richest man in America, made his fortune from domestic oil and gas production, and owns Kaiser-Francis Oil, one of the biggest privately owned energy producers in the country. His foundation is also heavily invested in the energy sector--according to its most recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing, it held more than $750 million worth of investments in oil and natural gas producers, including a $371 million state in Unit Corp., a Tulsa-based oil producer and pipeline operator.

Kaiser's role as a fundraiser for Obama's 2008 campaign has led to speculation that the administration intervened on behalf of the ill-fated Solyndra's loan application due to political influence. The Tulsa World reported that, in March 2007, the oilman hosted an event at his home for the candidate, where Obama raised about $250,000. In addition to bundling for Obama, Kaiser boosted his donations to candidates in the 2010 election cycle, giving more than $180,000 to state and federal candidates--mostly to Democrats--more than double the $79,850 he gave in the 2008 cycle, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute for Money in State Politics, downloaded from TransparencyData.com. Kaiser's nonprofit foundation, which made the investment in Solyndra, lobbied Congress in 2010 on "Energy policy options that promote energy independence while reducing carbon emissions," according to lobbying disclosures.

George Kaiser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 2008, with an estimated current net worth of around $12 billion, he was ranked by Forbes as the 20-richest person in America and the richest person in Oklahoma

Solar Energy Firm Solyndra Shuts Shop | Stock Market News

According to the reports from CNN Money, the George Kaiser Family Foundation was the largest investor in Solyndra LLC which had raised about $ 1 billion through private equity financing.

More than 35 percent equity stake was held by George Kaiser Family Foundation in Solyndra when it had filed for a $ 300 million Initial Public Offering in 2009 which was later cancelled, reported CNN Money.