President Trump recently said a "patriot," reported by the New York Times to be Timothy Mellon, donated $130 million in an effort to keep troops paid during the shutdown.

This article originally published at Who is Timothy Mellon? The former CT resident donated $130 million for military pay. As part of an answer to a question about a potential third term, President Trump told reporters that the administration had "some very good people."

The Mellon empire began with Thomas Mellon, who was an Irish immigrant who arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1800s. His son, Andrew Mellon, made major investments in companies like Alcoa and Gulf Oil.

The Pentagon has accepted Mellon's generous donation, but there's a catch — it may not actually be able to spend the money.

Timothy Mellon is a billionaire heir who has spent hundreds of millions on GOP causes and is reportedly behind the $130 million gift to the Pentagon.

President Donald Trump had earlier this week described the benefactor only as "a friend" who "loves the military and loves the country," saying the donor preferred to remain anonymous, US News, Times

Breaking News: Timothy Mellon, a banking heir, is said to be the anonymous donor who gave $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops during the shutdown. https://t.co/eLAKC5nJv4

Timothy Mellon, a descendant of the Gilded Age industrialist Andrew Mellon, was identified by The New York Times as the mystery man who made a rare multi-million-dollar gift to the Pentagon.