Charles and David Koch are still spending hundreds of millions of dollars on political causes–but now they’re making an effort to combat negative press.
From The Hill:
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – The Koch brothers’ donor network spent close to $400 million last year, and is on its way to spending an unprecedented $889 million supporting right-wing politics and causes during the 2016 cycle.
On Saturday afternoon, the Koch network assembled 500 wealthy conservatives — its largest gathering ever — at a luxury resort near the foothills of Palm Springs’ Coachella Valley.
About 150 of the donors are first-time attendees, and the rest are paid-up members of the conservative donor network, which requires a minimum annual membership fee of $100,000.
“Everybody, come out and identify yourself because this isn’t some secret cabal,” Charles Koch said in his opening address to the donors on the lawns of the luxury Renaissance Resort and Spa.
“I’ve been identified lately,” Koch said, referring to his recent media appearances to improve the Kochs’ public image, “and it’s not so bad, I’m still here… I’m going stronger than ever.”
While billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch have historically kept their political and ideological activities secret, they made a strategic decision last year to “open up” the donor network, which had been portrayed by Democrats including President Obama and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, as a sinister force in American politics.
The strategy involved Charles doing a series of media interviews to promote his new book, “Good Profit,” and also allowing a small number of journalists into their exclusive retreats.
Read the rest of the story here.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.