Jacob "Jake" Jabs is not quite a national figure, but he is a celebrity in Colorado 鈥� so much so that he was featured in the animated comedy series 鈥淪outh Park,鈥� which is set in the state.
Editor's Note: This story comes from the . Following the Citizens United decision, Montana has been involved in several court cases regarding the state's laws on campaign finance. Those court battles cumulated with the state of . In a 2008 filing for status as an 501(c)(4) 鈥渟ocial welfare鈥� organization Jake Jabs is listed as a primary donor to ATP. You can read more on .
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A , according to Furniture Today. Kyle, one of the main characters, is at a party for high-rollers when he spots a man in a yellow suit with a white tiger in his lap.
鈥� from American Furniture Warehouse commercials!鈥�
Jabs, 81, owns Colorado鈥檚 largest furniture chain and is probably best known for his commercials the big cats.
While his commercials are amusing, he is serious about his politics. A document from the Internal Revenue Service shows Jabs pledged $300,000 in seed money to . ATP is a secretive pro-energy nonprofit that鈥檚 taken the state of Montana to court three times .
Jabs, through a spokesman, Monday said he did not make a donation and has "never heard of" ATP or the group's previous incarnation.
"He did not commit to the funds indicated by Athena Dalton in the filing so clearly he did not give them funds," wrote Charlie Shaulis, director of communications for American Furniture Warehouse, Jabs' company, in an email to in Colorado.
Dalton wrote a letter to the IRS asking the agency to speed up the process for awarding it nonprofit status. The letter states that the approval was needed quickly, otherwise Jabs would not make a contribution. The agency gave it the thumbs-up four days later.
In 2008, he paid for ads a ballot initiative that would have made Colorado a 鈥渞ight-to-work鈥� state, a measure opposed by unions. There were tigers in those ads, too.
Jabs in a press conference posted on YouTube that he wanted to "hurt the pocketbooks of the unions so they don鈥檛 have the millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars to spend."
http://youtu.be/SjOjl-25RRY
He is a prolific Republican donor, having given about $150,000 to GOP candidates and parties since 1997, according to Federal Election Commission records.
The son of immigrants, Jabs grew up in rural Montana in a house without electricity, indoor plumbing or running water. His father had only a second-grade education.
Jabs tells his rags-to-riches story in his books, "An American Tiger" and "Thriving In Tough Times." The cover of An American Tiger features Jabs with one of the animals.
His giving extends beyond politics.
In 2010, . He is a 1952 alumnus of the university (then called Montana State College), where he studied vocational agriculture and was on the rodeo team.
John Dunbar contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared at the and was updated on October 22nd at 7:00 p.m. to reflect that Jabs, through as spokesman, denied making a contribution to ATP. You can read the .
