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Koch network

April 12, 2024

Charles G. (born 1935) and David H. Koch (1940–2019), sometimes referred to as the Koch brothers,[1] have become famous for their financial and political influence in United States politics with a libertarian, more specifically, right-libertarian or American-style libertarian political stance. From around 2004 to 2019,[2] with "foresight and perseverance",[1] the brothers organized like-minded wealthy libertarian-oriented conservatives, spent hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money to build an "integrated" and  "stealth" network of think tanks, foundations, "grassroots" movements,[2] academic programs, advocacy and legal groups to "destroy the prevalent statist paradigm"[3] reshape public opinion to favor minimal government.[1][4][5] As of mid 2018, the media has been encouraged to refer to the "Koch network" rather than the "Koch brothers".[6]

Charles G. and David H. Koch

The Koch brothers are the sons of Fred C. Koch (1900–1967), who founded Koch Industries, now the second largest privately held company in the United States. As of 2012 they owned 84% of Koch Industries stock,[5] and as of December 2022, Charles Koch was estimated to have a net worth of $66 billion, making him the 14th-richest person in the world.[7] Fred C. had four sons, but the other two, Fredrick and William, are not involved in the family business; Charles and David bought them out in 1983,[8] and neither are involved with the family foundations, or Charles and David's political or philanthropic network.

The brothers' ideology is libertarian, more specifically the right-libertarian branch most common found in American-style libertarianism.[9] The late David Koch described himself as a social liberal,[10][11] and in the early years of their political activity ran for vice president as the Libertarian Party's candidate.[12] However, his "intense" focus was "on economic and fiscal issues" - i.e. being fiscally conservative or economically liberal[11] rather than other libertarian causes, and as of 2014 the millions of dollars both brothers donated to candidates went to Republicans, not Libertarians.[10]

They actively fund and support organizations that contribute significantly to Republican candidates, promote climate change denial,[13][14][15] and in particular that lobby against efforts to expand government's role in health care and climate change mitigation.[16] Unlike less patient, shrewd, or deep-pocketed activists, they spent time and money on less visible projects "like influencing policy at the state legislative level".[2] By 2010, they had donated more than $100 million to dozens of conservative advocacy organizations.[16] From 2009 to 2016, the network of conservative/right-wing donors they organized pledged to spend $889 million and its infrastructure was said by Politico to rival "that of the Republican National Committee".[17] Despite its secrecy, the vast reach, massive funding, and political success of the network has gradually raised the brothers' profile and made them a "bogeyman" among many liberals and Democrats.[18]

In May 2019, the Kochs announced a change in direction,[9] described as a "turn away from partisan politics to focus more on goals that cut across ideologies".[19] The Koch network would henceforth operate under the umbrella of Stand Together, a nonprofit focused on supporting community groups. The network emphasized this was “not a branding exercise” and stated that its priorities would be efforts aimed at such anodyne goals as increasing employment, addressing poverty and addiction, ensuring excellent education, building a stronger economy, and bridging divides and building respect.[19] Some critics maintain "Koch-affiliated groups" are still active "at the front lines of our current culture wars".[20]

Background and history edit

The "Koch brothers" were sons of Fred C. Koch, a founding member of the John Birch Society.[21][22][23][24] He gave a speech in 1963 warning of “a takeover” of America in which Communists would “infiltrate the highest offices of government in the U.S. until the president is a Communist, unknown to the rest of us”.[25]

According to at least one source (Chris Cillizza), the Koch's domination of American politics, "especially among Republicans", began in 2004 and lasted "through at least 2016".[2] In a 3 April 2014 op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, Charles described himself as involved in politics "only reluctantly and recently" and "only in the past decade.", starting with the founding of the biannual donor seminars. However, the nonpartisan fact-checking group PolitiFact found the Kochs had "made many campaign contributions prior to 2004", coming to approximately $7 million, in addition to federal lobbying and contributions to conservative ideological think tanks (Cato Institute, the Reason Foundation, the Mercatus Center and Citizens for a Sound Economy).[26][27]

In public opinion pieces and other forums, Charles Koch proclaimed his conception of "economic freedom" as essential to the well-being of society. Believing society so far off course that it was far from sufficient to simply fund candidates for office, the Kochs sought to change the zeitgeist. To that end they founded and provided sustained funding for an array of free-market and libertarian think tanks and academic research entities starting in the 1970s. These included the Cato Institute (by the end of 1974, Mr. Koch had helped found what would become the Cato Institute)[12] and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

On at least two occasions, David Koch voiced support for positions at odds with conservative Republican orthodoxy, such as Social liberalism, legal abortion,[10][11] same-sex marriage, using defense spending cuts and tax increases to balance the budget, and a withdrawal by the U.S. military from the Middle East.[28] At the same time he also said his "intense" focus was "on economic and fiscal issues"[11] not social issues or "how much military we need,”[28] and that on foreign policy "I’m not an expert ... so my opinion probably doesn’t count for very much."[28]

Libertarian candidate

David was the Libertarian Party's vice-presidential candidate in 1980,[12] running on a platform of abolishing Social Security, the FBI, the CIA, and public schools.[29][30] (His brother Charles also supported his candidacy.)[16] By being a candidate, Koch took advantage of campaign finance laws exempting him from limits on donations and ultimately "contributed about $2.1 million, more than half the [Libertarian] campaign budget.”[12][10][30] This gave the candidates enough cash to run advertisements and try to get on the ballot in all 50 states.[12] However, he and running mate Ed Clark won only 1.1% of the vote,[31] and the experience of running for office led him to change course: "I had enough ... [W]e are not a nation that debates issues. We vote on candidates' personalities."

Changing public opinion

By 1984, David had parted company with the Libertarian Party, because, he said, "they nominated a ticket I wasn't happy with" and "so many of the hard-core Libertarian ideas are unrealistic".[30] Charles was also soured on direct electioneering after the effort, telling a reporter that conventional politics "tends to be a nasty, corrupting business ... I'm interested in advancing libertarian ideas".[16] In a 1974 speech to libertarian thinkers and business leaders in Dallas, Charles argued that the most effective response to Americans alienation from free markets and minimal government was "not political action",[12] but “the development of a well-financed cadre of sound proponents of the free enterprise philosophy".[32] He regarded politicians as "actors playing out a script" and turned his focus away from the actors and towards supplying "the themes and words" for the actors "scripts".[33]

By 2012 David told Politico that he considered "himself a Republican first and foremost — rather than a Libertarian or a nonpartisan supporter of free enterprise".[28] According to writer Eric Black, the brothers move to the Republican Party doesn't stem from "a change of heart, but one of tactics" since libertarianism "was costly and could be bad for the family business long term.[10]

Charles Koch funds and supports libertarian organizations such as the Cato Institute,[34] which he co-founded with Edward H. Crane and Murray Rothbard in 1977,[35] and is a board member at the Mercatus Center, market-oriented research think tank at George Mason University. In 1985, the Kochs and a new adviser, Richard Fink, formed "Citizens for a Sound Economy", a free enterprise-oriented group that evolved into Americans for Prosperity.[12]

In addition to funding think tanks, the brothers support libertarian academics;[36] since 1992, Charles has funded the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program through the Institute for Humane Studies, which mentors young, self-described libertarians.[37]

2003 beginning of the network edit

It was in 2003 when the Kochs became disillusioned with mainstream Republican promotion of "certain regulations and new social spending on a Medicare drug program" under President George W. Bush. According to Charles, “we said, ‘Gosh, we’ve got to get involved in politics’”. This began the twice-yearly gatherings of wealthy conservative donors known as seminars, the funding and directing of "a full array of political party-like activities, including organizations that could operate in the states and mobilize grassroots activists along with paid operatives."[38]Richard Harold Fink, a former economics professor and former executive vice president of Koch Industries, was described in 2012 by Laurie Bennett as "a longtime associate of the Kochs who oversees much of their influence spending", and by Jane Mayer as "the central nervous system of the Kochtopus."[39]

Since 2008 edit

The secrecy was effective enough that prior to the digging of investigative reporters such as Jane Mayer, even many Washington insiders had not heard of them.[38] However, after Barack Obama was elected in 2008, the Koch's led what some called an "all-out offensive" against Obama and congressional Democrats, attracting many other wealthy conservatives to their seminars and "deploying huge sums of secret money" to block Obama initiatives like cap and trade on carbon emissions and health care reform.[38]

Since 2010, the brothers have become highly visible, with "journalists and bloggers" reporting on their latest "fundraising goals and election maneuvers", Democrats demonizing them (Democratic fundraising appeals that mentioned the Koch brothers reportedly have generated more donations than those that do not),[40] media interviewing them[38] and publishing their op-eds.[41]

Political activity edit

Koch Industries describes itself as being committed to free societies and free market principles and as supporting those who champion these things.[42]

Obama presidency

After the 2008 United States presidential election, when Democrats won the presidency, both houses of Congress, and the collapse of the housing market and threat of a bank collapse made laissez-faire free market economics appear untenable, the Koch brothers led the resistance to the triumphal Obama administration, warning that Americans "faced the greatest loss of liberty and prosperity since the 1930s".[43] Billionaires came forth to invest in the Koch network" (nicknamed the "Kochtopus"[44][note 1] During Obama's administration, the Republican Party with the help of the Koch-network "made inroads at all levels of governments". At the state level, they gained 900 seats in state legislatures.[44]

Secrecy edit

In a paper analyzing the John Birch Society, Charles Koch “argued in favor” of at least imitating the society when it came to "not widely advertising" who ran the society.[46] Their father is quoted as saying, “The whale that spouts is the one that gets harpooned."[44]

Not surprisingly, the Koch brothers' “ambitious enterprise” was “largely hidden” from public view.[47] They avoided “all but the minimum legally required financial disclosures”. The guest list at their gatherings was “shrouded in secrecy”.[47] Guests were admonished to destroy all paperwork, make no mention of the event online or to the media, and make all arrangements through Koch staff, not resort employees. Any audio or visual recording gear (smart phones, tablets, cameras) were confiscated prior to sessions.[47] At at least one gathering, white-noise-emitting-loud speakers were pointed outwards from the event by audio technicians to foil any media attempting to listen in. When one breach of secrecy occurred, "an intense week-long internal investigation" was launched "to identify and plug the leak".[47] Interested in maintaining their discreet influence, Charles and David have donated to non-profit groups who do not disclose their donors.[48] The secrecy abated somewhat starting at the 2015 summer seminar, when some reporters were invited and "allowed to attend some sessions, including those featuring many of the Republican Party’s presidential candidates".[49]

Donors edit

Based on the one list of donors to the Koch network to surface publicly (from a 2010 summit) Koch donors tend to be disproportionately from the financial or fossil fuel sector of the economy,[50] and to have made or inherited money from private (not publicly traded) companies.[51] Some of the most well-known donors to the network include: Steven A. Cohen, Paul Singer, and Stephen A. Schwarzman.[52] Other prominent and wealthy participants include: Robert Mercer, Ken Langone, Richard Strong, Philip Anschutz, Richard DeVos (1926–2018), Richard Gilliam, J. Larry Nichols, Harold Hamm, Richard Farmer.[52][note 2]

Political contributions edit

In 2008, the three main Koch family foundations contributed to 34 political and policy organizations, three of which they founded, and several of which they directed.[16] As of 2011, Koch Industries' political action committee had donated more than $2.6 million to candidates.[55] The Koch brothers support primarily Republican candidates and in 2010 they supported California Proposition 23, which would have suspended the state's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.[56][57][58][59] The brothers pledged to donate $60 million in the 2012 election season to defeat President Barack Obama.[60][61] According to OpenSecrets, of $274 million in anonymous 2012 contributions, at least $86 million is "attributed to donor groups in the Koch network".[62][63]

Governor Scott Walker contributions edit

According to Mother Jones, Koch Industries' Political Action Committee (PAC) contributed the second largest donation to Scott Walker's 2010 campaign for governor of Wisconsin. It donated $43,000, second in size only to PAC donations of $43,125 from both the Wisconsin realtors and the Wisconsin home builders.[55][64] That contribution amounted to less than 0.5% of Walker's campaign total[65] because of the limits placed on campaign contributions.[64] Most support for Walker was in the form of expenditures estimated at $3 million from Americans for Prosperity (AFP).[66] Due to Koch's contribution to Walker's campaign, David Koch became a symbolic target for the protests.[65]

According to the Palm Beach Post, David Koch was active in Wisconsin politics. Americans for Prosperity reportedly spent $700,000 on ads supporting Governor Scott Walker's changes to collective bargaining.[67][68]

Mitt Romney presidential candidacy edit

In July 2012, David H. Koch hosted a $50,000-a-person ($75,000 a couple) fundraising dinner for 2012 Republican Party Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, which was the subject of liberal and progressive protests.[48][69][70] Koch Industries cited the protests an example of what they see as liberal hypocrisy regarding fundraising as these same groups don't protest big money donations for Democratic fundraisers.[71] William Koch, the younger brother of Charles and David, gave $1 million to Restore Our Future, a super-PAC backing Romney.[48] During the 2008 presidential race, David Koch donated $2,300 to Romney.[48]

2016 elections and President Donald Trump edit

A group associated with the Kochs announced plans to raise $889 million leading up to the 2016 elections.[72][73][74] After the Republican primary, they decided to not donate to Trump's campaign at all, instead focusing on the Congress and Senate races.[75] This included spending “heavily" on get out the vote drives for Republicans in general which helped Trump win "in key swing states”.[44]

Charles Koch criticized Trump's Muslim travel ban suggestions during the campaign and went so far as to say "it's possible" that Hillary Clinton could be a better president, although he strongly denied rumours that he would actually support Clinton.[76][77] In June 2018, the Kochs backed a multimillion-dollar campaign organized by three pro-free trade political groups to oppose the Trump tariffs.[78]

On the other hand, although they ”disavowed Trump” and opposed the extremes of his populist movement, so many Koch operatives served in top positions in the Trump administration (Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, Wilbur Ross, Betsy DeVos, Rebekah Mercer) that Politico dubbed it “Trump’s Koch administration.”[44] Koch’s have been accused of setting the general tone of Trump and the Trump-dominated Republican Party[79]—helping to "convince voters that Washington was corrupt and broken and that, when it came to governing, knowing nothing was preferable to expertise.”[79] According to a “former employee in the Koch’s political operation," “we are partly responsible” for the Trump populist movement nastiness. “We invested a lot in grassroots army that was not controllable”.[80]

Change in focus edit

In the spring of 2019, the Koch network (made up of a "constellation of groups" and funded by "around 700 like-minded conservatives and libertarians who contribute at least $100,000 annually") rebranded itself from "The Seminar Network" to “Stand Together”. In a letter to supporters, Charles Koch outlined the change in mission:[2]

We live in a period of unprecedented progress — economic, social, technological — but not everyone has shared in that progress. While many people have gotten ahead, too many people are falling behind. Our charge is clear: we must stand together to help every person rise In many ways, this new name already expresses who we are. … But this new name also marks a new chapter — and a new call to action.[2]

According to a description in the Washington Post, the Stand Together Foundation is the name of a nonprofit arm that the Koch apparatus created in 2016 "to support community groups addressing maladies like poverty, addiction, recidivism, gang violence and homelessness" and has (as of 2019) "provided grants to 140 organizations".

"Freedom Partners, an entity that was once used to air campaign commercials, will cease to exist. Americans for Prosperity will now oversee all political and policy efforts. Groups that cater to specific constituencies, like Libre for Latinos or Concerned Veterans for America, have moved under the AFP umbrella."[19] (Koch Industries continued to donate to Americans for Prosperity, giving—as of May 31, 2022 -- $6.5 million for the 2022 election cycle.)[81]

The Kochs also told donors and supporters that they would not be involved in the 2020 presidential race.[2]

As early as mid-2015, the New York Times reported:

Once known for grim letters to fellow wealthy Americans warning of socialist apocalypse, Charles G. Koch now promotes research on the link between freedom and everyday happiness.[49]

The Koch's were "trading compliments with President Obama". James Davis, a spokesman for Freedom Partners, “In light of the barrage of political attacks and distortions of our record, beliefs, and vision, we are taking the steps necessary to get our story out to the public.”[49]

At least one critic (Clay Wirestone) maintains "Koch-affiliated groups" are still active "at the front lines of our current culture wars".[20]

Explanations for the change include Koch's concern over the success of non-libertarian Donald Trump in the Republican Party and his divisiveness, and/or the success of the goals of the original network.[2]

2024 Republican Party presidential primaries edit

The donor network of Charles Koch announced it would fund a primary challenge to Trump during the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.[82] On November 28, the Koch Network announced its endorsement of Nikki Haley.[83]

Impact edit

The impact of the Koch brothers' work has been called "extraordinary", unlike what anyone else has done (by Democratic activist Rob Stein)[84] Another more sympathetic observer (Brian Doherty, libertarian author) argues that while "there are few policy victories you can lay directly at their feet," the Kochs have changed the general political zeitgeist "of valuing free markets" and "libertarianism, in a way it never did 20 years ago."[85] Jane Mayer points out that while there may have been few Koch "policy victories", there were plenty of policy defeats inflicted on their adversaries that they can take credit for. Circa 2015, national opinion polls indicated public support for a government action to address global warming, raise taxes on the rich and close loopholes that benefited them, increase funding for social security, or infrastructure, limits on campaign spending. But inside the "beltway" of the nation's capital, where the success of the Koch network's election campaign victories meant a majority in congress, there was an embrace of austerity, tax cuts for "job creators", and a dismissal as "out of the question" measures fighting global warming and inequality.[86]

Critics like Mayer also allege that the secrecy of the Kochs and some of their operatives helped create a “conventional wisdom" that America's turn to the right was "a public backlash against liberal spending programs", when in fact out-of-sight, the Koch network was helping this political shift along.[87] The Tea Party movement has been attacked as Koch-funded Astroturf—as opposed to Grassroots—political movement, with groups like Sam Adams Alliance having "deep ties" to the Koch brothers.[88][89]

Another example being the seemingly spontaneous anti-Obamacare outrage at town hall meetings in summer of 2009, that was assisted by FreedomWorks (connected with the Koch brothers) which "circulating a memo instructing Tea Partiers on how to disrupt" the meetings.[90][note 3]

Organizations edit

The Koch Network edit

 
The Koch network is a "tightly interlocked set of organizations" that the brothers and "their closest advisors have developed over time into an integrated political machine". Contrary to the impression of some, it is not an impenetrable “maze of money” funding all matter of right-wing groups; though some organizations outside of the core group have been funded, most of the grants bestowed by its "funding conduits" (such as Freedom Partners), are relatively tiny and not ongoing.[38] While the network has also been called a third political party[91] because of its size and organization ("According to Kenneth Vogel at Politico, the Koch network has about three and a half times as many employees as the Republican National Committee plus GOP congressional campaign affiliates"),[38] its "network’s operatives and resources" do not work independently of the GOP, but "are closely intertwined" with it. For example, of the first fifteen directors of the different state Americans for Prosperity organizations, almost 70% "had previously held staff posts in GOP campaigns or in the offices of Republican elected officials".[38]

As of mid 2018, the chief "lieutenants" of Charles and David Koch encouraged media to refer to the "Koch network" rather than the "Koch brothers" in their reporting.[6] The network was founded by Charles and David Koch and is made up of "several hundred",[6] (another estimate is about 500)[92] donors who pay a minimum of $100,000 each year, and work to influence American life in a conservative direction.[6] The network has been called "one of the nation's most influential political forces",[92] "a shadow political party, complete with its own field offices and national voter database". In the two years up to 2018 it is estimated to have spent $400 million on "policy and politics", and "millions more on educational and philanthropic initiatives".[93] The network meets twice a year at invitation-only summits,[92][94] where a seminar is held promoting the political views of the brothers.[95] Although the network is said to have "secretive ranks", it is suspected that members include the founders of many large firms — "everything from Citadel to Franzia wine".

When Charles Koch steps down as head of the network, it is "widely expected" that his son, Chase Koch, will take over (with assistance by "several longtime Koch aides"), and that Chase may turn the focus of the network away from partisan politics.[93]

Network seminars edit

Charles and David have run fundraising/seminars on conservative public policy and political strategy twice a year since 2003. Only about 17 people participated in 2003, but that grew to around 500 in early 2016. The seminars grew from raising less than $100 million in 2008, under $300 million in 2014, and somewhere between $700 and $900 million for the 2016 election cycle.[38]

The gatherings were characterized by great secrecy (participants were routinely urged to destroy all paperwork of the gatherings), commitment to conservative free market ideology, and the wealth of the participants, known as "investors" (in 2015, for example, 18 billionaires were present at a seminar). An example of a seminar at the network gatherings was one entitled "Understanding and Addressing Threats to American Free Enterprise and Prosperity", at the June 2010 event in Aspen, Colorado. The meeting invitation stated that "[our] prosperity is under attack by the current [i.e. the Obama] Administration and many of our elected officials" and "we cannot rely on politicians to [defend our free society], so it is up to us to combat what is now the greatest assault on American freedom and prosperity in our lifetimes".[96] The seminar program indicated that past meetings have featured speakers including Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas; Governors Bobby Jindal and Haley Barbour; commentators John Stossel, Charles Krauthammer, Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh; Senators Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn; and Representatives Paul Ryan, Mike Pence, and Tom Price.[97] Some presentations at the gatherings are restricted. Guests may be required to give up their cell phones, media presence limited to only "a handful" of organizations, and photos and videos "strictly prohibited".[92]

Impact edit

One 1997 study by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP)[98] identified twelve American foundations which have had a key influence on U.S. public policy since the 1960s via their support for The Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Cato Institute.[99] Three of these are Koch Family Foundations (the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation, and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation).[100]

The NCRP has also stated that it is not surprising that the philanthropic giving directed by the Koch brothers often goes to "that do research and advocacy on issues that impact the profit margin of Koch Industries,”[38][101] the conservative non-profits the network funds working to promote lower taxes and less regulation favorable to that bottom line.

In 2017, historian Nancy MacLean found that several Koch Family Foundations had significantly nurtured the libertarian movement in the US.[102]

Family foundations edit

Main article: Koch family foundations

The Koch family foundations began in 1953 with the establishment of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation.[103] In 1980, Charles Koch established the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, with the stated purpose of advancing social progress and well-being through the development, application and dissemination of "the Science of Liberty". David Koch established the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation.[104] The two brothers' foundations have provided an estimated $1.5 billion to a variety of causes and institutions including public television, medical research, higher education, environmental stewardship, criminal justice reform and the arts.[104][105]

Charles Koch and his wife were trustees of the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation, as directed by Claude R. Lambe.[106] The foundation distributed more than $27 million of its assets between 1997 and 2009.[107] The Claude. R. Lambe Charitable Foundation was formally dissolved in 2013.[108]

Think tanks and political organizations edit

Among the think tanks and public policy organizations Charles and David Koch have been involved in, and/or provided funding to include: the Cato Institute (they provided the initial funding), the Federalist Society (they are key donors).[109] They also support, or are members of, the Mercatus Center,[110] the Institute for Humane Studies,[110] the Institute for Justice,[111] the Institute for Energy Research,[112] The Heritage Foundation,[113] the Manhattan Institute,[113] the Reason Foundation,[110] the George C. Marshall Institute,[114] the American Enterprise Institute,[114] and the Fraser Institute,[115][116] and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust.[117][118] As of 2015, David Koch sat on the board of directors of the Cato Institute,[119] the Reason Foundation and the Aspen Institute.[120] A 2013 study by OpenSecrets said that nonprofit groups backed by a donor network organized by Charles and David Koch raised more than $400 million in the 2011–2012 election cycle.[112]

Citizens for a Sound Economy edit

Main article: Citizens for a Sound Economy

Citizens for a Sound Economy was co-founded by David Koch in 1985.[109] According to the Center for Public Integrity, the Koch Brothers donated a total of $7.9 million between 1986 and 1993.[16] In 1990, the brothers created the spinoff group Citizens for the Environment.[16] In 2004, Citizens for a Sound Economy was renamed FreedomWorks, while its affiliated Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation became Americans for Prosperity (AFP). Since then, the Koch brothers have given more than one million dollars to AFP.[16][109][121]

Americans for Prosperity edit

Main article: Americans for Prosperity

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation has been called the Koch brothers' "main political arm",[122] "primary political advocacy group",[123] "flagship political operation",[124][125] As of 2016, it had "paid staff in 34 states and contact lists for millions of conservative activists nationwide".[38] David Koch was the top initial funder ("by far the single largest contributor") of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.[126][127] At AFP's 2009 annual summit meeting, David Koch said "Five years ago, my brother Charles and I provided the funds to start the Americans for Prosperity, and it's beyond my wildest dreams how AFP has grown into this enormous organization."[121][128][129] AFP is the political arm of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, for which David Koch served as chairman of the board of trustees.[109][120][130][131]

Americans for Prosperity created Patients United Now, which advocated against a single-payer health care system during the 2009-2010 healthcare reform debate. Both FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity have provided support for the Tea Party movement.[132][133] AFP spent $45 million in the 2010 election.[134]

Cato Institute edit

Main article: Cato Institute

The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded as the Charles Koch Foundation in 1974 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch. Following the 2011 death of William Niskanen, the chairman of the Cato Institute, Charles and David Koch reportedly made an effort to procure the shares of that institute held by Niskanen's widow, "arguing that they were not hers to hold".[135] Their efforts were criticized by some at the institute, including the institute's president Ed Crane, who in an email to staff stated that the Kochs were "in the process of trying to take over the Cato Institute. The brothers issued a statement denying any wrongdoing and stated they "never asserted that Cato should be directly by, or at the whim of, any other organization, or that they should aspire to advocate the way AFP does.[136][137] In June 2012, Cato and the brothers reached an agreement. Crane stepped down and was replaced by John A. Allison IV; the Kochs withdrew two lawsuits.[138]

Freedom Partners edit

Main article: Freedom Partners

Freedom Partners gave grants worth a total of $236 million to conservative organizations, groups like the Tea Party Patriots and organizations which opposed the Affordable Care Act prior to the 2012 election. Freedom Partners financed the socially conservative group Concerned Women for America, a leading opponent of same-sex marriage in the United States [139] A majority of Freedom Partners board of directors is made up of long-time employees of the Koch brothers.[140][141][142]

Concerned Veterans for America edit

The Koch network funds the nonprofit group Concerned Veterans for America.[143][144][145] The group favors privatizing the Veterans Administration, or as the organization describes it, converting the VA into an "independent, government-chartered nonprofit corporation". The goal is opposed by Veterans Service Organizations such as the American Legion and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.[146]

Other groups edit

The Kochs donated more than $17 million between 1997 and 2008 to various groups including the Competitive Enterprise Institute. It describes itself as offering information on issues including, among others, energy, environment, biotechnology, pharmaceutical regulation, chemical risk, telecommunications, etc.[147]

The Kochs have donated millions of dollars via organizations they fund to the National Federation of Independent Business. In 2013 "NFIB and its affiliated groups received $2.5 million from Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, a conservative advocacy group with deep ties to the Koch empire. Of the five men that sit on the group's board, four are current or former employees of Koch companies and one is a friend of Charles Koch's."[148]

Other groups the Kochs have supported include:

  • "Generation Opportunity", a former center-right youth mobilization effort;[149]
  • "Libre Initiative" to engage Hispanics to support low taxes and less business regulation, or “to empower Hispanics” and advance "liberty, freedom and prosperity".;[150]
  • Themis/i360, which collects and analyzes voter data,[38] maintaining "a database of over 250 million 18+ adults, including the 190 million who are registered to vote";[151] and
  • Aegis Strategic, which recruits and trains conservative candidates such as now Senator from Iowa, Joni Ernst.[38]

Educational grants edit

Between 2007 and 2012, Koch family foundations reportedly "contributed $30.5 million to 221 colleges and universities".[12][152] The Charles Koch Foundation (and in the case of Kansas schools, the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation) provides grants as of 2013, to nearly 270 U.S. colleges and universities for "projects that explore how the principles of free enterprise and classical liberalism promote a more peaceful and prosperous society".[153]

In 2011, the Charles G. Koch foundation made a grant of $1.5 million to Florida State University (FSU) in exchange for allowing the foundation, via an advisory committee,[154] to approve hiring decisions in the university's economics department for a program that promotes "political economy and free enterprise". The FSU student senate introduced a resolution protesting the Koch's "undue influence on academics as established by the current agreement between the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and the FSU Economics department."[155] In response, John Hardin, who is a program officer with the Charles Koch Foundation, stated that, "when we support a school's initiative, it is to expand opportunity and increase the diversity of ideas available on campus."[156]

In 2014, the brothers made a $25 million grant to the United Negro College Fund.[157] After the fund's president also appeared at a summit held by the brothers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a major labor union, providing $50,000 annually ended its support for the fund in protest.[158]

Issues and policy edit

Climate change and use of fossil fuels edit

The Koch brothers have played an active role in opposing climate change legislation, particularly in preventing the passing of legislation at the start of the Obama administration when there was widespread consensus on its need (in institutions such as U.S. Department of Defense, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a U.S. National Security Strategy report), and when control of Congress and the Presidency was in the hands of the party (the Democrats) and president who had pledged to pass climate change legislation[159][160] (although both parties' candidates had "spoken of the importance of addressing global warming").

The Koch brothers and the other fossil fuel industry magnates (Corbin Robertson Jr., Harold Hamm, Larry Nichols, Philip Anschutz, etc.) that formed the core of the Koch donor network are thought to have been particularly alarmed by legislation that would have cut carbon emissions, so they stayed within the range thought necessary to prevent "irreversible global damage to life on earth". Doing so would have meant 80% of the known coal, oil and gas reserves owned by industry would have to "stay unused in the ground"—a potentially "catastrophic" financial loss to these fossil fuel titans (according to climate scientists and journalist Jane Mayer).[161]

The Koch brothers and their network fought global warming legislation (such as the market-based regulation of carbon emissions proposed by the Obama administration known as "cap and trade") both through direct political activity ("massively increasing" its lobbying of congress,[162][163] and supporting political candidates who opposed climate action); and through working to sow doubt among the public about the science of global warming.[161] (This was important because in 2003, before the doubt campaign took off, an overwhelming majority of both Democrats (68%) and Republicans (65%) thought global warming was caused by pollution from human activities; it was effective because by 2021 only 32% of Republicans agreed, though 88% of Democrats did.)[164]

According to Kert Davies, the founder and director of Climate Investigations Center, "you’d have a carbon tax, or something better, today, if not for the Kochs. They stopped anything from happening back when there was still time."[32] In January 2011, Rolling Stone magazine included the Koch brothers on its list of the top twelve people blocking progress on global warming.[165] In 2011, Los Angeles Times reporter Margot Roosevelt called the Koch Brothers "the nation's most prominent funders of efforts to prevent curbs on fossil-fuel burning".[166]

In "2011 and 2012, Koch Industries Public Sector LLC, (the lobbying arm of Koch Industries)", pushed for the Energy Tax Prevention Act, which would have prevented the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gases, according to the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University[167][168]

Regarding public opinion, over $500 million was spent on a "campaign to manipulate and mislead the public about the threat posed by climate change" between 2003 and 2010 according to researcher Robert Brule.[169] Although much of the funding was untraceable (often passed through Donors Trust or Donors Capital Fund, which are not required to disclose their donors),[170] 140 conservative foundations (many if not all affiliated with the Koch network), gave 5299 grants to 91 different non-profit organizations.[169]

The environmentalist group Greenpeace writes that organizations that the Koch brothers help fund such as Americans for Prosperity, The Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, and the Manhattan Institute were active in questioning global warming.[171] Through Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers influenced more than 400 members of Congress to sign a pledge to vote against "legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue".[167][172][173] Political scientist Theda Skocpol describes 2007 as the "turning point" in the fight for global warming denial:

Climate denial got disseminated deliberately and rapidly from think tanks tomes to the daily media fare of about 30 to 40% of the U.S. populace[174]

This involved "saturation coverage" by conservative media, portraying climate scientists as "swindler pushing a radical, partisan, anti-American agenda".[175]

Among the climate change research projects funded in part by Koch brother affiliated groups were the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project, and one by climate change denier Willie Soon. The Koch Foundation was a major funder of the Berkeley Earth, an effort started by two scientists -- Richard A. Muller (a UC Berkeley physicist) and Elizabeth Muller—who "found merit in some of the concerns of climate skeptics",[176] and believed global warming climate data was flawed.[177] The Mullers organized a group of scientists in early 2010 to "reanalyze the Earth’s surface temperature record".[176][178] Unfortunately for the Koch's campaign, Richard Muller later reversed his views, issuing a statement in mid-2012 supporting scientific consensus.[177][179]

The Charles G. Koch Foundation gave the Smithsonian Institution two grants totaling $175,000 in 2005/6 and again in 2010 to support research of climate change denier Willie Soon. The foundation helped finance a 2007 analysis suggesting that climate change was not a threat to the survival of polar bears,[180] which was questioned by other researchers,[181] but nonetheless "echoed throughout the Koch network".[182] Jane Mayer reports that Soon accepted "more than $1.2 million from the fossil fuel industry from 2005 to 2015 ... without disclosing it".[182] Soon has stated that he has "never been motivated by financial reward in any of my scientific research".[183]

At the state level, Koch Industries (unsuccessfully) supported efforts in 2010 to roll back emission regulations in California.[184][185]

The Koch brothers' Lambe Foundation has donated to the American Energy Alliance, an offshoot of the Institute for Energy Research that promotes oil and gas energy exploration and production and looser government regulations to encourage them.[186]

In March 2015, the general counsel of Koch Industries, in a letter responding to a request from three Senate Democrats, wrote that "The activity efforts about which you inquire, and Koch's involvement, if any, in them, are at the core of the fundamental liberties protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution", and declined to cooperate with the senators' inquiry into the funding of researchers skeptical of climate change.[187][188]

The Kochs have also funded efforts to stop the growth of solar power.[189][190]

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act edit

Koch brothers-funded groups including Americans for Prosperity, Pacific Research Institute, Center to Protect Patient Rights, and Generation Opportunity opposed the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) commonly called Obamacare, favoring a free-market approach.[191][192]

Koch brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity and Generation Opportunity[193] ran more than $3 million worth of advertisements opposing the Affordable Care Act, including a series of ads in which Uncle Sam was depicted as a "creepy" doctor. The ads are directed at women and young adults and are designed to "undermine confidence"[194] and to dissuade younger people from enrolling in health care coverage through exchanges which opened October 1, 2013.[191][195][196] In October 2013, the Americans for Prosperity group began a campaign to oppose "Obamacare" in the state of Virginia.[197]

Criminal justice reform edit

The Koch brothers have advocated reform of the United States' criminal justice system. In 2011, Koch Industries received a "Defender of Justice award" from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in recognition of their financial support for providing low-income defendants with competent legal representation.[198]

The Kochs stepped up their work on the issue in 2015, partnering with left-leaning groups to promote reforms to reduce incarceration in the United States. The Kochs aligned with President Barack Obama in heading criminal justice reform, citing poor conditions and an outdated system.[199] In addition to the president, the Kochs have partnered with groups such as the ACLU, the Center for American Progress, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the Coalition for Public Safety, and the MacArthur Foundation.[198][199] The Kochs, along with their partners, seek to aid those suffering from systemic overcriminalization and overincarceration, who are generally from low-income and minority communities. Another goal for the Kochs' criminal justice reforms is to reduce recidivism and diminish barriers faced by rehabilitated citizens seeking reintroduction into the work force and society.[200][201] The Kochs and the ACLU are also invested in putting an end to Asset forfeiture by law enforcement, which deprives persons of often the bulk of their private property.[202]

In July 2015, after the rare show of bipartisanship, President Obama praised the Kochs' work on the issue.[203] Similarly, civil rights activist Anthony Van Jones lent a comparable praise towards the Kochs' actions.[200] Although critics have called the announcement a public relations stunt on behalf of the Kochs in the midst of media attacks, several media outlets noted that Charles Koch had been making substantial donations for criminal justice reform for almost a decade before the news was made public.[198][199]

Among the reforms are a push for further mens rea requirements, meaning criminal intent must be proven to establish fault. The Justice Department noted that some white-collar crimes, including food safety violations and corporate pollution, would become more difficult to prosecute. However, the Justice Department has been accused[by whom?] of over-criminalizing persons who have committed minor infractions without intent or even knowledge of the law. In essence, the reforms could potentially overturn Ignorantia juris non excusat statutes.[204]

In early 2018, the Koch network continued its mission to "promote criminal justice reform and anti-recidivism programs" through discussions with the Department of Justice in Washington, and initiatives like the Safe Streets and Second changes program.[205][206] While many see Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a potential roadblock to the Koch network's goal of broader criminal justice reform in the United States, Mark Holden, vice president and general counsel for Koch Industries, notes that they are making inroads with the Attorney General, starting with prison reform.[207][208]

The Koch network, at their 2018 meeting the launch of Safe Streets and Second Chances, announced a $4 million pilot project designed to shift the American criminal justice system from punishment to prioritizing rehabilitation.[209] The initiative, led by Koch Industries in conjunction with the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Right on Crime, will launch in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Pennsylvania.[210] Researchers will develop "individualized re-entry" plans for over 1,000 participants at 8 sites and then analyze the results.[206][211]

COVID-19 pandemic edit

The Koch-funded American Institute for Economic Research sponsored the Great Barrington Declaration, a statement that advocates an alternative, risk-based approach to the COVID-19 pandemic that involves "Focused Protection" of those most at risk and seeks to avoid or minimize the societal harm of the COVID-19 lockdowns.[212][213][214]

The Charles Koch Institute is a "major benefactor" of the Independent Women's Forum, an American conservative non-profit organization focused on economic policy issues of concern to women, which opposed efforts to combat the coronavirus through mask mandates in schools.[215] The group circulated a template letter to its members encouraging them to personalize and mail it to "your own school superintendents and administrators, principals, and teachers!" Among other things the proposed letter asserted that "young kids do not significantly spread COVID either" and claimed that "common sense" teaches that requiring masks in school may lead to anxiety, depression, decreases in socialization skills, and increases in tooth decay in children.[216]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Koch network funded several research projects that expressed support for lockdowns and similar Non-pharmaceutical intervention (epidemiology) policies. In March 2020 the Koch-funded Mercatus Center at George Mason University awarded an Emergent Ventures grant to Neil M. Ferguson of Imperial College London for "good policy thinking" in support of his COVID-19 epidemiological model.[217][218] Ferguson's model proved highly influential in inducing public health officials to adopt lockdown policies worldwide.[219] A grant from the Charles Koch Foundation funded a National Bureau of Economic Research study finding that California's shelter-in-place style lockdown policy "led to as many as 1,661 fewer COVID-19 deaths" in the spring of 2020.[220] A Koch Foundation grant supported a study by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, attributing a Superspreader event to the lack of social distancing at the August 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.[221] The Koch Foundation similarly funded a set of studies by faculty at Bowling Green State University, arguing that political opposition to lockdowns and non-compliance with lockdown measures were explained by "libertarian and neoliberal elements within Christian nationalism" and "xenophobic" beliefs within these groups.[222][223]

Gay rights edit

David Koch voiced support for gay marriage; in 2015 signed an amicus curiae in the DeBoer v. Snyder case which supported same-sex couples constitutional right to marry.[224] Some gay rights advocates have complained that despite the brothers' vocal ideological libertarian stand against "government ‘intrusions,’ including ... laws that criminalized homosexuality", their devotion to conservative causes sometimes led them to support anti-gay rights politicians, (such as Vice President Mike Pence, whose two campaigns for governor of Indiana the network "contributed heavily to"), and organizations (such as the American Legislative Exchange Council, which "at least in its early years, strongly opposed LGBTQ equality").[225]

Abortion edit

David Koch also voiced support for "women's right to choose".[11] However, again critics noted that the Koch brothers network's deep ties to the conservative movement meant it "helped to bankroll the anti-abortion groups" (such as a $500,000 donation to the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List) that successfully supported Supreme Court nominees (Neil Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett) who helped overturn Roe v. Wade ruling.[226][227] In 2010, the Koch brothers network group Center to Protect Patient Rights "provided Americans United for Life Action [the 501(c)(4) wing of Americans United for Life] with 39 percent of the group’s operating budget that year".[227] In the same year it "granted more than $1 million to the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List", which amounted "about half of the $2 million the group spent that year on advertising for anti-choice candidates and against pro-choice candidates in state and federal races across the country".[227] A Koch network spokesman was quoted as saying "We do not and have never worked on the issue of abortion. The grant in 2017 [to the Susan B. Anthony List] was the last payment on a previous commitment by Freedom Partners, which was intended to support SBA’s grassroots efforts to get-out-the-vote among those concerned about government spending — not issue advocacy."[226] two major organizations linked to Charles and David Koch—the center to Protect Patient Rights and Freedom Partners—and found that both were funding millions of dollars into the movement to ban abortion.

Critical race theory edit

Opposition to what was purported to be critical race theory was promoted by organizations funded by the Koch brothers in 2021.[228] However, in September 2021, leaders of the Koch network came out in opposition to government bans of critical race theory.[229]

Evolution edit

In 2009 David Koch gave the Smithsonian Institution $15 million for the purpose of building a hall covering 6 million years of human evolution. He has given the American Museum of Natural History $20 million and the Smithsonian $35 million to build dinosaur halls.[230]

Salon writes that "one of David Koch’s biggest hobbies, beyond his more general philanthropic pursuits, is paleontology", and that Koch Industries:

"make their money from the daily business of rock strata and fossil fuels, the kind of practical geological work that leaves no doubt about the age of the Earth. In the Archeology interview, [David] Koch spoke about young earth creationists with a kind of bewildered disdain. He had nothing but kind words for Darwin."[231]

Immigration edit

Following President Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address, Jorge Lima, senior vice president for policy at the Koch brothers connected Americans for Prosperity stated “Rather than continuing to use immigration as a wedge issue, we urge lawmakers to roll up their sleeves and drive solutions that both tackle these issues and have broad public support. But Congress must do the work to get this done ... we are devoting resources and marshaling our activists across the nation to contact their elected officials, share their support and urgency, and drive decisive action on these solutions without delay”.[232]

Response to liberal critics edit

Response to Harry Reid edit

In 2014, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused the Koch brothers of trying to "buy the country" in a statement made on the floor of the Senate. Koch Companies Public Sector CEO Philip Ellender responded: "Sen. Reid's divisive remarks were not only disrespectful and beneath the office he holds, they were indicative of what lengths he and his Democratic allies will go to eliminate and silence their political opposition."[233]

Jane Mayer article in The New Yorker edit

According to journalist Jane Mayer: "The Koch brothers are known for their strongly conservative politics and for their efforts to finance a network of advocacy groups whose goal is to move the country to the right."[234]

Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic's "Daily Dish" defended the Kochs, saying that while he respected Mayer, "as best I can tell, the Koch brothers are legitimately upset by some aspects of the piece, and anyone who reads it should also look at the rebuttals from libertarians who are persuasively pushing back against some of its conclusions."[235]

A Koch Industries company spokesperson issued a statement saying, "No funding has been provided by Koch companies, the Koch foundation, or Charles Koch or David Koch specifically to support the tea parties".[16] Koch Industries posted a reply on its website. It acknowledged funding libertarian and conservative causes,[236] but stated there were inaccuracies and distortions in Mayer's article, and that she failed to identify alleged conflicts of interest on the part of several persons whom she quoted.[237]

See also edit

References edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ the term "Kochtopus" was coined "in service of showing how far-reaching" the power of the Koch network was, but the originators of the term were not liberal or leftist critics, but "paleo-libertarians", who insisted that the network's influence was nefarious "because the DC organizations they fund are too liberal".[45]
  2. ^ (Other "hugely wealthy, archconservative" families that preceded the Kochs in working to change "how Americans thought and voted"[53] include Richard Mellon Scaife, (one of the heirs to the Mellon banking and Gulf Oil Fortunes); Harry and Lynde Bradley, (money from defense contracts, Harry Lynde Bradley died in 1965 but the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation supports conservative causes), John M. Olin, (chemical and munitions company, Olin died in 1982 but his foundation continued funding conservative causes until 2005 when it dissolved), Coors brewing family, DeVos family (founders of Amway marketing and the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation).)[54]
  3. ^ Investigative reporter Lee Fang "discovered that a volunteer with FreedomWorks was circulating a memo instructing Tea Partiers on how to disrupt the meetings").[90]

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b c Mayer, Jane (2016). Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right. Doubleday. pp. 2–3.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Cillizza, Chris (August 23, 2019). "The Point. How the Koch brothers fundamentally changed modern politics". CNN. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  3. ^ article by Charles Koch, "The Business Community, Resisting Regulation", in the Libertarian Review, August 1978, quoted in Mayer, Jane (2016). Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right. Doubleday. p. 54.
  4. ^ Dryzek, John S.; Norgaard, Richard B.; Schlosberg, David (2011). The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0199566600.
  5. ^ a b Fisher, Daniel (December 5, 2012). "Inside The Koch Empire: How The Brothers Plan To Reshape America". Forbes. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
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  7. ^ "Bloomberg Billionaires Index". Bloomberg. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  8. ^ The brothers settled in 2001, in Kroll, Luisa (June 1, 2012). "Billionaire Family Feuds: The High Stakes Of Dysfunction And Dissent". Forbes. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Belkin, Douglas (November 13, 2020). "Charles Koch Says His Partisanship Was a Mistake". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved March 23, 2022. At 85, the libertarian tycoon who spent decades funding conservative causes says he wants a final act building bridges across political divides.
  10. ^ a b c d e Black, Eric (May 19, 2014). "Move from Libertarian Party to GOP: Koch brothers change tactics, not beliefs". www.minnpost.com. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  11. ^ a b c d e Fischer, Sara (December 14, 2014). "David Koch is pro-choice, supports gay rights; just not Democrats | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved March 23, 2022. I'm basically a libertarian. And I'm a conservative on economic matters and I'm a social liberal" [...] Koch, who supports gay rights and women's right to choose, said if candidates he gives to don't share those ideals, "That's their problem. I do have those views." [...] "I'm really focused intensely on economic and fiscal issues, because if those go bad the country as a whole suffers terribly.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Quixotic ’80 Campaign Gave Birth to Kochs’ Powerful Network May 17, 2014 NYT.
  13. ^ Farrell, Justin (January 5, 2016). "Corporate funding and ideological polarization about climate change". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113 (1): 92–97. Bibcode:2016PNAS..113...92F. doi:10.1073/pnas.1509433112. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 4711825. PMID 26598653.
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  23. ^ Wayne, Leslie (December 7, 1986). "Brothers at Odds". The New York Times. New York. p. Sec. 6; Part 2, p 100 col. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. He returned a fervent anti-Communist who would later become a founding member of the John Birch Society.
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  29. ^ Kerby, Phil (September 13, 1979). "The Libertarians: Freedom to a Fault?". Los Angeles Times. p. D1.
  30. ^ a b c Curtis, Charlotte (October 16, 1984). "Man Without a Candidate". The New York Times.
  31. ^ Doherty, Brian (November 17, 2008). "Where Did the Libertarian Party Go Wrong?". Reason. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  32. ^ a b Robinson, Nathan (August 28, 2019). "The Koch brothers tried to build a plutocracy in the name of freedom". The Guardian. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
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  35. ^ "25 Years at Cato" (PDF). Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  36. ^ Brian Doherty (2008). Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement. PublicAffairs. p. 410. ISBN 978-1586485726. One longtime Koch lieutenant characterized the overall strategy of Koch's libertarian funding over the years with both a theatrical metaphor and an Austrian capital theory one: Politicians, ultimately, are just actors playing out a script. The idea is, one gets better and quicker results aiming not at the actors but at the scriptwriters, to help supply the themes and words for the scripts – to try to influence the areas where policy ideas percolate from: academia and think tanks. Ideas, then, are the capital goods that go into building policy as a finished product – and there are insufficient libertarian capital goods at the top of the structure of production to build the policies libertarians demand.
  37. ^ . Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010. The Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program combines a paid public policy internship with two career skills seminars and weekly policy lectures. You'll gain real-world experience, take a crash course in market-based policy analysis, and hone your professional skills. The intensive ten-week program begins in June and includes a $1,500 stipend and a housing allowance
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External links edit

  • Koch brothers collected news and commentary at The Guardian  
  • Inside the Koch Brothers' Toxic Empire. Rolling Stone. September 24, 2014.
  • Response to Rolling Stone article September 25, 2014.
  • Koch Industries Responds to Rolling Stone – And We Answer Back. Rolling Stone. September 29, 2014.
  • Is Charles Koch a closet liberal? CNNMoney. January 20, 2016.

April 12, 2024
koch, network, charles, born, 1935, david, koch, 1940, 2019, sometimes, referred, koch, brothers, have, become, famous, their, financial, political, influence, united, states, politics, with, libertarian, more, specifically, right, libertarian, american, style. Charles G born 1935 and David H Koch 1940 2019 sometimes referred to as the Koch brothers 1 have become famous for their financial and political influence in United States politics with a libertarian more specifically right libertarian or American style libertarian political stance From around 2004 to 2019 2 with foresight and perseverance 1 the brothers organized like minded wealthy libertarian oriented conservatives spent hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money to build an integrated and stealth network of think tanks foundations grassroots movements 2 academic programs advocacy and legal groups to destroy the prevalent statist paradigm 3 reshape public opinion to favor minimal government 1 4 5 As of mid 2018 the media has been encouraged to refer to the Koch network rather than the Koch brothers 6 Charles G and David H Koch The Koch brothers are the sons of Fred C Koch 1900 1967 who founded Koch Industries now the second largest privately held company in the United States As of 2012 they owned 84 of Koch Industries stock 5 and as of December 2022 Charles Koch was estimated to have a net worth of 66 billion making him the 14th richest person in the world 7 Fred C had four sons but the other two Fredrick and William are not involved in the family business Charles and David bought them out in 1983 8 and neither are involved with the family foundations or Charles and David s political or philanthropic network The brothers ideology is libertarian more specifically the right libertarian branch most common found in American style libertarianism 9 The late David Koch described himself as a social liberal 10 11 and in the early years of their political activity ran for vice president as the Libertarian Party s candidate 12 However his intense focus was on economic and fiscal issues i e being fiscally conservative or economically liberal 11 rather than other libertarian causes and as of 2014 the millions of dollars both brothers donated to candidates went to Republicans not Libertarians 10 They actively fund and support organizations that contribute significantly to Republican candidates promote climate change denial 13 14 15 and in particular that lobby against efforts to expand government s role in health care and climate change mitigation 16 Unlike less patient shrewd or deep pocketed activists they spent time and money on less visible projects like influencing policy at the state legislative level 2 By 2010 they had donated more than 100 million to dozens of conservative advocacy organizations 16 From 2009 to 2016 the network of conservative right wing donors they organized pledged to spend 889 million and its infrastructure was said by Politico to rival that of the Republican National Committee 17 Despite its secrecy the vast reach massive funding and political success of the network has gradually raised the brothers profile and made them a bogeyman among many liberals and Democrats 18 In May 2019 the Kochs announced a change in direction 9 described as a turn away from partisan politics to focus more on goals that cut across ideologies 19 The Koch network would henceforth operate under the umbrella of Stand Together a nonprofit focused on supporting community groups The network emphasized this was not a branding exercise and stated that its priorities would be efforts aimed at such anodyne goals as increasing employment addressing poverty and addiction ensuring excellent education building a stronger economy and bridging divides and building respect 19 Some critics maintain Koch affiliated groups are still active at the front lines of our current culture wars 20 Contents 1 Background and history 1 1 2003 beginning of the network 1 2 Since 2008 2 Political activity 2 1 Secrecy 2 2 Donors 2 3 Political contributions 2 3 1 Governor Scott Walker contributions 2 3 2 Mitt Romney presidential candidacy 2 3 3 2016 elections and President Donald Trump 2 4 Change in focus 2 5 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries 2 6 Impact 3 Organizations 3 1 The Koch Network 3 1 1 Network seminars 3 2 Impact 3 3 Family foundations 3 4 Think tanks and political organizations 3 4 1 Citizens for a Sound Economy 3 4 2 Americans for Prosperity 3 4 3 Cato Institute 3 4 4 Freedom Partners 3 4 5 Concerned Veterans for America 3 4 6 Other groups 3 5 Educational grants 4 Issues and policy 4 1 Climate change and use of fossil fuels 4 2 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 4 3 Criminal justice reform 4 4 COVID 19 pandemic 4 5 Gay rights 4 6 Abortion 4 7 Critical race theory 4 8 Evolution 4 9 Immigration 5 Response to liberal critics 5 1 Response to Harry Reid 5 2 Jane Mayer article in The New Yorker 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Notes 7 2 Citations 8 External linksBackground and history editThe Koch brothers were sons of Fred C Koch a founding member of the John Birch Society 21 22 23 24 He gave a speech in 1963 warning of a takeover of America in which Communists would infiltrate the highest offices of government in the U S until the president is a Communist unknown to the rest of us 25 According to at least one source Chris Cillizza the Koch s domination of American politics especially among Republicans began in 2004 and lasted through at least 2016 2 In a 3 April 2014 op ed piece in the Wall Street Journal Charles described himself as involved in politics only reluctantly and recently and only in the past decade starting with the founding of the biannual donor seminars However the nonpartisan fact checking group PolitiFact found the Kochs had made many campaign contributions prior to 2004 coming to approximately 7 million in addition to federal lobbying and contributions to conservative ideological think tanks Cato Institute the Reason Foundation the Mercatus Center and Citizens for a Sound Economy 26 27 In public opinion pieces and other forums Charles Koch proclaimed his conception of economic freedom as essential to the well being of society Believing society so far off course that it was far from sufficient to simply fund candidates for office the Kochs sought to change the zeitgeist To that end they founded and provided sustained funding for an array of free market and libertarian think tanks and academic research entities starting in the 1970s These included the Cato Institute by the end of 1974 Mr Koch had helped found what would become the Cato Institute 12 and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University On at least two occasions David Koch voiced support for positions at odds with conservative Republican orthodoxy such as Social liberalism legal abortion 10 11 same sex marriage using defense spending cuts and tax increases to balance the budget and a withdrawal by the U S military from the Middle East 28 At the same time he also said his intense focus was on economic and fiscal issues 11 not social issues or how much military we need 28 and that on foreign policy I m not an expert so my opinion probably doesn t count for very much 28 Libertarian candidateDavid was the Libertarian Party s vice presidential candidate in 1980 12 running on a platform of abolishing Social Security the FBI the CIA and public schools 29 30 His brother Charles also supported his candidacy 16 By being a candidate Koch took advantage of campaign finance laws exempting him from limits on donations and ultimately contributed about 2 1 million more than half the Libertarian campaign budget 12 10 30 This gave the candidates enough cash to run advertisements and try to get on the ballot in all 50 states 12 However he and running mate Ed Clark won only 1 1 of the vote 31 and the experience of running for office led him to change course I had enough W e are not a nation that debates issues We vote on candidates personalities Changing public opinionBy 1984 David had parted company with the Libertarian Party because he said they nominated a ticket I wasn t happy with and so many of the hard core Libertarian ideas are unrealistic 30 Charles was also soured on direct electioneering after the effort telling a reporter that conventional politics tends to be a nasty corrupting business I m interested in advancing libertarian ideas 16 In a 1974 speech to libertarian thinkers and business leaders in Dallas Charles argued that the most effective response to Americans alienation from free markets and minimal government was not political action 12 but the development of a well financed cadre of sound proponents of the free enterprise philosophy 32 He regarded politicians as actors playing out a script and turned his focus away from the actors and towards supplying the themes and words for the actors scripts 33 By 2012 David told Politico that he considered himself a Republican first and foremost rather than a Libertarian or a nonpartisan supporter of free enterprise 28 According to writer Eric Black the brothers move to the Republican Party doesn t stem from a change of heart but one of tactics since libertarianism was costly and could be bad for the family business long term 10 Charles Koch funds and supports libertarian organizations such as the Cato Institute 34 which he co founded with Edward H Crane and Murray Rothbard in 1977 35 and is a board member at the Mercatus Center market oriented research think tank at George Mason University In 1985 the Kochs and a new adviser Richard Fink formed Citizens for a Sound Economy a free enterprise oriented group that evolved into Americans for Prosperity 12 In addition to funding think tanks the brothers support libertarian academics 36 since 1992 Charles has funded the Charles G Koch Summer Fellow Program through the Institute for Humane Studies which mentors young self described libertarians 37 2003 beginning of the network edit It was in 2003 when the Kochs became disillusioned with mainstream Republican promotion of certain regulations and new social spending on a Medicare drug program under President George W Bush According to Charles we said Gosh we ve got to get involved in politics This began the twice yearly gatherings of wealthy conservative donors known as seminars the funding and directing of a full array of political party like activities including organizations that could operate in the states and mobilize grassroots activists along with paid operatives 38 Richard Harold Fink a former economics professor and former executive vice president of Koch Industries was described in 2012 by Laurie Bennett as a longtime associate of the Kochs who oversees much of their influence spending and by Jane Mayer as the central nervous system of the Kochtopus 39 Since 2008 edit The secrecy was effective enough that prior to the digging of investigative reporters such as Jane Mayer even many Washington insiders had not heard of them 38 However after Barack Obama was elected in 2008 the Koch s led what some called an all out offensive against Obama and congressional Democrats attracting many other wealthy conservatives to their seminars and deploying huge sums of secret money to block Obama initiatives like cap and trade on carbon emissions and health care reform 38 Since 2010 the brothers have become highly visible with journalists and bloggers reporting on their latest fundraising goals and election maneuvers Democrats demonizing them Democratic fundraising appeals that mentioned the Koch brothers reportedly have generated more donations than those that do not 40 media interviewing them 38 and publishing their op eds 41 Political activity editKoch Industries describes itself as being committed to free societies and free market principles and as supporting those who champion these things 42 Obama presidencyAfter the 2008 United States presidential election when Democrats won the presidency both houses of Congress and the collapse of the housing market and threat of a bank collapse made laissez faire free market economics appear untenable the Koch brothers led the resistance to the triumphal Obama administration warning that Americans faced the greatest loss of liberty and prosperity since the 1930s 43 Billionaires came forth to invest in the Koch network nicknamed the Kochtopus 44 note 1 During Obama s administration the Republican Party with the help of the Koch network made inroads at all levels of governments At the state level they gained 900 seats in state legislatures 44 Secrecy edit In a paper analyzing the John Birch Society Charles Koch argued in favor of at least imitating the society when it came to not widely advertising who ran the society 46 Their father is quoted as saying The whale that spouts is the one that gets harpooned 44 Not surprisingly the Koch brothers ambitious enterprise was largely hidden from public view 47 They avoided all but the minimum legally required financial disclosures The guest list at their gatherings was shrouded in secrecy 47 Guests were admonished to destroy all paperwork make no mention of the event online or to the media and make all arrangements through Koch staff not resort employees Any audio or visual recording gear smart phones tablets cameras were confiscated prior to sessions 47 At at least one gathering white noise emitting loud speakers were pointed outwards from the event by audio technicians to foil any media attempting to listen in When one breach of secrecy occurred an intense week long internal investigation was launched to identify and plug the leak 47 Interested in maintaining their discreet influence Charles and David have donated to non profit groups who do not disclose their donors 48 The secrecy abated somewhat starting at the 2015 summer seminar when some reporters were invited and allowed to attend some sessions including those featuring many of the Republican Party s presidential candidates 49 Donors edit Based on the one list of donors to the Koch network to surface publicly from a 2010 summit Koch donors tend to be disproportionately from the financial or fossil fuel sector of the economy 50 and to have made or inherited money from private not publicly traded companies 51 Some of the most well known donors to the network include Steven A Cohen Paul Singer and Stephen A Schwarzman 52 Other prominent and wealthy participants include Robert Mercer Ken Langone Richard Strong Philip Anschutz Richard DeVos 1926 2018 Richard Gilliam J Larry Nichols Harold Hamm Richard Farmer 52 note 2 Political contributions edit In 2008 the three main Koch family foundations contributed to 34 political and policy organizations three of which they founded and several of which they directed 16 As of 2011 Koch Industries political action committee had donated more than 2 6 million to candidates 55 The Koch brothers support primarily Republican candidates and in 2010 they supported California Proposition 23 which would have suspended the state s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 56 57 58 59 The brothers pledged to donate 60 million in the 2012 election season to defeat President Barack Obama 60 61 According to OpenSecrets of 274 million in anonymous 2012 contributions at least 86 million is attributed to donor groups in the Koch network 62 63 Governor Scott Walker contributions edit According to Mother Jones Koch Industries Political Action Committee PAC contributed the second largest donation to Scott Walker s 2010 campaign for governor of Wisconsin It donated 43 000 second in size only to PAC donations of 43 125 from both the Wisconsin realtors and the Wisconsin home builders 55 64 That contribution amounted to less than 0 5 of Walker s campaign total 65 because of the limits placed on campaign contributions 64 Most support for Walker was in the form of expenditures estimated at 3 million from Americans for Prosperity AFP 66 Due to Koch s contribution to Walker s campaign David Koch became a symbolic target for the protests 65 According to the Palm Beach Post David Koch was active in Wisconsin politics Americans for Prosperity reportedly spent 700 000 on ads supporting Governor Scott Walker s changes to collective bargaining 67 68 Mitt Romney presidential candidacy edit In July 2012 David H Koch hosted a 50 000 a person 75 000 a couple fundraising dinner for 2012 Republican Party Presidential candidate Mitt Romney which was the subject of liberal and progressive protests 48 69 70 Koch Industries cited the protests an example of what they see as liberal hypocrisy regarding fundraising as these same groups don t protest big money donations for Democratic fundraisers 71 William Koch the younger brother of Charles and David gave 1 million to Restore Our Future a super PAC backing Romney 48 During the 2008 presidential race David Koch donated 2 300 to Romney 48 2016 elections and President Donald Trump edit A group associated with the Kochs announced plans to raise 889 million leading up to the 2016 elections 72 73 74 After the Republican primary they decided to not donate to Trump s campaign at all instead focusing on the Congress and Senate races 75 This included spending heavily on get out the vote drives for Republicans in general which helped Trump win in key swing states 44 Charles Koch criticized Trump s Muslim travel ban suggestions during the campaign and went so far as to say it s possible that Hillary Clinton could be a better president although he strongly denied rumours that he would actually support Clinton 76 77 In June 2018 the Kochs backed a multimillion dollar campaign organized by three pro free trade political groups to oppose the Trump tariffs 78 On the other hand although they disavowed Trump and opposed the extremes of his populist movement so many Koch operatives served in top positions in the Trump administration Mike Pence Mike Pompeo Wilbur Ross Betsy DeVos Rebekah Mercer that Politico dubbed it Trump s Koch administration 44 Koch s have been accused of setting the general tone of Trump and the Trump dominated Republican Party 79 helping to convince voters that Washington was corrupt and broken and that when it came to governing knowing nothing was preferable to expertise 79 According to a former employee in the Koch s political operation we are partly responsible for the Trump populist movement nastiness We invested a lot in grassroots army that was not controllable 80 Change in focus edit In the spring of 2019 the Koch network made up of a constellation of groups and funded by around 700 like minded conservatives and libertarians who contribute at least 100 000 annually rebranded itself from The Seminar Network to Stand Together In a letter to supporters Charles Koch outlined the change in mission 2 We live in a period of unprecedented progress economic social technological but not everyone has shared in that progress While many people have gotten ahead too many people are falling behind Our charge is clear we must stand together to help every person rise In many ways this new name already expresses who we are But this new name also marks a new chapter and a new call to action 2 According to a description in the Washington Post the Stand Together Foundation is the name of a nonprofit arm that the Koch apparatus created in 2016 to support community groups addressing maladies like poverty addiction recidivism gang violence and homelessness and has as of 2019 provided grants to 140 organizations Freedom Partners an entity that was once used to air campaign commercials will cease to exist Americans for Prosperity will now oversee all political and policy efforts Groups that cater to specific constituencies like Libre for Latinos or Concerned Veterans for America have moved under the AFP umbrella 19 Koch Industries continued to donate to Americans for Prosperity giving as of May 31 2022 6 5 million for the 2022 election cycle 81 The Kochs also told donors and supporters that they would not be involved in the 2020 presidential race 2 As early as mid 2015 the New York Times reported Once known for grim letters to fellow wealthy Americans warning of socialist apocalypse Charles G Koch now promotes research on the link between freedom and everyday happiness 49 The Koch s were trading compliments with President Obama James Davis a spokesman for Freedom Partners In light of the barrage of political attacks and distortions of our record beliefs and vision we are taking the steps necessary to get our story out to the public 49 At least one critic Clay Wirestone maintains Koch affiliated groups are still active at the front lines of our current culture wars 20 Explanations for the change include Koch s concern over the success of non libertarian Donald Trump in the Republican Party and his divisiveness and or the success of the goals of the original network 2 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries edit The donor network of Charles Koch announced it would fund a primary challenge to Trump during the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries 82 On November 28 the Koch Network announced its endorsement of Nikki Haley 83 Impact edit The impact of the Koch brothers work has been called extraordinary unlike what anyone else has done by Democratic activist Rob Stein 84 Another more sympathetic observer Brian Doherty libertarian author argues that while there are few policy victories you can lay directly at their feet the Kochs have changed the general political zeitgeist of valuing free markets and libertarianism in a way it never did 20 years ago 85 Jane Mayer points out that while there may have been few Koch policy victories there were plenty of policy defeats inflicted on their adversaries that they can take credit for Circa 2015 national opinion polls indicated public support for a government action to address global warming raise taxes on the rich and close loopholes that benefited them increase funding for social security or infrastructure limits on campaign spending But inside the beltway of the nation s capital where the success of the Koch network s election campaign victories meant a majority in congress there was an embrace of austerity tax cuts for job creators and a dismissal as out of the question measures fighting global warming and inequality 86 Critics like Mayer also allege that the secrecy of the Kochs and some of their operatives helped create a conventional wisdom that America s turn to the right was a public backlash against liberal spending programs when in fact out of sight the Koch network was helping this political shift along 87 The Tea Party movement has been attacked as Koch funded Astroturf as opposed to Grassroots political movement with groups like Sam Adams Alliance having deep ties to the Koch brothers 88 89 Another example being the seemingly spontaneous anti Obamacare outrage at town hall meetings in summer of 2009 that was assisted by FreedomWorks connected with the Koch brothers which circulating a memo instructing Tea Partiers on how to disrupt the meetings 90 note 3 Organizations editThe Koch Network edit nbsp The Koch network is a tightly interlocked set of organizations that the brothers and their closest advisors have developed over time into an integrated political machine Contrary to the impression of some it is not an impenetrable maze of money funding all matter of right wing groups though some organizations outside of the core group have been funded most of the grants bestowed by its funding conduits such as Freedom Partners are relatively tiny and not ongoing 38 While the network has also been called a third political party 91 because of its size and organization According to Kenneth Vogel at Politico the Koch network has about three and a half times as many employees as the Republican National Committee plus GOP congressional campaign affiliates 38 its network s operatives and resources do not work independently of the GOP but are closely intertwined with it For example of the first fifteen directors of the different state Americans for Prosperity organizations almost 70 had previously held staff posts in GOP campaigns or in the offices of Republican elected officials 38 As of mid 2018 the chief lieutenants of Charles and David Koch encouraged media to refer to the Koch network rather than the Koch brothers in their reporting 6 The network was founded by Charles and David Koch and is made up of several hundred 6 another estimate is about 500 92 donors who pay a minimum of 100 000 each year and work to influence American life in a conservative direction 6 The network has been called one of the nation s most influential political forces 92 a shadow political party complete with its own field offices and national voter database In the two years up to 2018 it is estimated to have spent 400 million on policy and politics and millions more on educational and philanthropic initiatives 93 The network meets twice a year at invitation only summits 92 94 where a seminar is held promoting the political views of the brothers 95 Although the network is said to have secretive ranks it is suspected that members include the founders of many large firms everything from Citadel to Franzia wine When Charles Koch steps down as head of the network it is widely expected that his son Chase Koch will take over with assistance by several longtime Koch aides and that Chase may turn the focus of the network away from partisan politics 93 Network seminars edit Charles and David have run fundraising seminars on conservative public policy and political strategy twice a year since 2003 Only about 17 people participated in 2003 but that grew to around 500 in early 2016 The seminars grew from raising less than 100 million in 2008 under 300 million in 2014 and somewhere between 700 and 900 million for the 2016 election cycle 38 The gatherings were characterized by great secrecy participants were routinely urged to destroy all paperwork of the gatherings commitment to conservative free market ideology and the wealth of the participants known as investors in 2015 for example 18 billionaires were present at a seminar An example of a seminar at the network gatherings was one entitled Understanding and Addressing Threats to American Free Enterprise and Prosperity at the June 2010 event in Aspen Colorado The meeting invitation stated that our prosperity is under attack by the current i e the Obama Administration and many of our elected officials and we cannot rely on politicians to defend our free society so it is up to us to combat what is now the greatest assault on American freedom and prosperity in our lifetimes 96 The seminar program indicated that past meetings have featured speakers including Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas Governors Bobby Jindal and Haley Barbour commentators John Stossel Charles Krauthammer Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh Senators Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn and Representatives Paul Ryan Mike Pence and Tom Price 97 Some presentations at the gatherings are restricted Guests may be required to give up their cell phones media presence limited to only a handful of organizations and photos and videos strictly prohibited 92 Impact edit One 1997 study by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy NCRP 98 identified twelve American foundations which have had a key influence on U S public policy since the 1960s via their support for The Heritage Foundation the American Enterprise Institute and the Cato Institute 99 Three of these are Koch Family Foundations the Charles G Koch Charitable Foundation the Claude R Lambe Charitable Foundation and the David H Koch Charitable Foundation 100 The NCRP has also stated that it is not surprising that the philanthropic giving directed by the Koch brothers often goes to that do research and advocacy on issues that impact the profit margin of Koch Industries 38 101 the conservative non profits the network funds working to promote lower taxes and less regulation favorable to that bottom line In 2017 historian Nancy MacLean found that several Koch Family Foundations had significantly nurtured the libertarian movement in the US 102 Family foundations edit Main article Koch family foundations The Koch family foundations began in 1953 with the establishment of the Fred C and Mary R Koch Foundation 103 In 1980 Charles Koch established the Charles G Koch Charitable Foundation with the stated purpose of advancing social progress and well being through the development application and dissemination of the Science of Liberty David Koch established the David H Koch Charitable Foundation 104 The two brothers foundations have provided an estimated 1 5 billion to a variety of causes and institutions including public television medical research higher education environmental stewardship criminal justice reform and the arts 104 105 Charles Koch and his wife were trustees of the Claude R Lambe Charitable Foundation as directed by Claude R Lambe 106 The foundation distributed more than 27 million of its assets between 1997 and 2009 107 The Claude R Lambe Charitable Foundation was formally dissolved in 2013 108 Think tanks and political organizations edit Among the think tanks and public policy organizations Charles and David Koch have been involved in and or provided funding to include the Cato Institute they provided the initial funding the Federalist Society they are key donors 109 They also support or are members of the Mercatus Center 110 the Institute for Humane Studies 110 the Institute for Justice 111 the Institute for Energy Research 112 The Heritage Foundation 113 the Manhattan Institute 113 the Reason Foundation 110 the George C Marshall Institute 114 the American Enterprise Institute 114 and the Fraser Institute 115 116 and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust 117 118 As of 2015 David Koch sat on the board of directors of the Cato Institute 119 the Reason Foundation and the Aspen Institute 120 A 2013 study by OpenSecrets said that nonprofit groups backed by a donor network organized by Charles and David Koch raised more than 400 million in the 2011 2012 election cycle 112 Citizens for a Sound Economy edit Main article Citizens for a Sound Economy Citizens for a Sound Economy was co founded by David Koch in 1985 109 According to the Center for Public Integrity the Koch Brothers donated a total of 7 9 million between 1986 and 1993 16 In 1990 the brothers created the spinoff group Citizens for the Environment 16 In 2004 Citizens for a Sound Economy was renamed FreedomWorks while its affiliated Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation became Americans for Prosperity AFP Since then the Koch brothers have given more than one million dollars to AFP 16 109 121 Americans for Prosperity edit Main article Americans for Prosperity The Americans for Prosperity Foundation has been called the Koch brothers main political arm 122 primary political advocacy group 123 flagship political operation 124 125 As of 2016 it had paid staff in 34 states and contact lists for millions of conservative activists nationwide 38 David Koch was the top initial funder by far the single largest contributor of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation 126 127 At AFP s 2009 annual summit meeting David Koch said Five years ago my brother Charles and I provided the funds to start the Americans for Prosperity and it s beyond my wildest dreams how AFP has grown into this enormous organization 121 128 129 AFP is the political arm of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation for which David Koch served as chairman of the board of trustees 109 120 130 131 Americans for Prosperity created Patients United Now which advocated against a single payer health care system during the 2009 2010 healthcare reform debate Both FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity have provided support for the Tea Party movement 132 133 AFP spent 45 million in the 2010 election 134 Cato Institute edit Main article Cato Institute The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington D C It was founded as the Charles Koch Foundation in 1974 by Ed Crane Murray Rothbard and Charles Koch Following the 2011 death of William Niskanen the chairman of the Cato Institute Charles and David Koch reportedly made an effort to procure the shares of that institute held by Niskanen s widow arguing that they were not hers to hold 135 Their efforts were criticized by some at the institute including the institute s president Ed Crane who in an email to staff stated that the Kochs were in the process of trying to take over the Cato Institute The brothers issued a statement denying any wrongdoing and stated they never asserted that Cato should be directly by or at the whim of any other organization or that they should aspire to advocate the way AFP does 136 137 In June 2012 Cato and the brothers reached an agreement Crane stepped down and was replaced by John A Allison IV the Kochs withdrew two lawsuits 138 Freedom Partners edit Main article Freedom Partners Freedom Partners gave grants worth a total of 236 million to conservative organizations groups like the Tea Party Patriots and organizations which opposed the Affordable Care Act prior to the 2012 election Freedom Partners financed the socially conservative group Concerned Women for America a leading opponent of same sex marriage in the United States 139 A majority of Freedom Partners board of directors is made up of long time employees of the Koch brothers 140 141 142 Concerned Veterans for America edit The Koch network funds the nonprofit group Concerned Veterans for America 143 144 145 The group favors privatizing the Veterans Administration or as the organization describes it converting the VA into an independent government chartered nonprofit corporation The goal is opposed by Veterans Service Organizations such as the American Legion and the Paralyzed Veterans of America 146 Other groups edit The Kochs donated more than 17 million between 1997 and 2008 to various groups including the Competitive Enterprise Institute It describes itself as offering information on issues including among others energy environment biotechnology pharmaceutical regulation chemical risk telecommunications etc 147 The Kochs have donated millions of dollars via organizations they fund to the National Federation of Independent Business In 2013 NFIB and its affiliated groups received 2 5 million from Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce a conservative advocacy group with deep ties to the Koch empire Of the five men that sit on the group s board four are current or former employees of Koch companies and one is a friend of Charles Koch s 148 Other groups the Kochs have supported include Generation Opportunity a former center right youth mobilization effort 149 Libre Initiative to engage Hispanics to support low taxes and less business regulation or to empower Hispanics and advance liberty freedom and prosperity 150 Themis i360 which collects and analyzes voter data 38 maintaining a database of over 250 million 18 adults including the 190 million who are registered to vote 151 and Aegis Strategic which recruits and trains conservative candidates such as now Senator from Iowa Joni Ernst 38 Educational grants edit Between 2007 and 2012 Koch family foundations reportedly contributed 30 5 million to 221 colleges and universities 12 152 The Charles Koch Foundation and in the case of Kansas schools the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation provides grants as of 2013 to nearly 270 U S colleges and universities for projects that explore how the principles of free enterprise and classical liberalism promote a more peaceful and prosperous society 153 In 2011 the Charles G Koch foundation made a grant of 1 5 million to Florida State University FSU in exchange for allowing the foundation via an advisory committee 154 to approve hiring decisions in the university s economics department for a program that promotes political economy and free enterprise The FSU student senate introduced a resolution protesting the Koch s undue influence on academics as established by the current agreement between the Charles G Koch Charitable Foundation and the FSU Economics department 155 In response John Hardin who is a program officer with the Charles Koch Foundation stated that when we support a school s initiative it is to expand opportunity and increase the diversity of ideas available on campus 156 In 2014 the brothers made a 25 million grant to the United Negro College Fund 157 After the fund s president also appeared at a summit held by the brothers the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees a major labor union providing 50 000 annually ended its support for the fund in protest 158 Issues and policy editClimate change and use of fossil fuels edit The Koch brothers have played an active role in opposing climate change legislation particularly in preventing the passing of legislation at the start of the Obama administration when there was widespread consensus on its need in institutions such as U S Department of Defense the American Association for the Advancement of Science a U S National Security Strategy report and when control of Congress and the Presidency was in the hands of the party the Democrats and president who had pledged to pass climate change legislation 159 160 although both parties candidates had spoken of the importance of addressing global warming The Koch brothers and the other fossil fuel industry magnates Corbin Robertson Jr Harold Hamm Larry Nichols Philip Anschutz etc that formed the core of the Koch donor network are thought to have been particularly alarmed by legislation that would have cut carbon emissions so they stayed within the range thought necessary to prevent irreversible global damage to life on earth Doing so would have meant 80 of the known coal oil and gas reserves owned by industry would have to stay unused in the ground a potentially catastrophic financial loss to these fossil fuel titans according to climate scientists and journalist Jane Mayer 161 The Koch brothers and their network fought global warming legislation such as the market based regulation of carbon emissions proposed by the Obama administration known as cap and trade both through direct political activity massively increasing its lobbying of congress 162 163 and supporting political candidates who opposed climate action and through working to sow doubt among the public about the science of global warming 161 This was important because in 2003 before the doubt campaign took off an overwhelming majority of both Democrats 68 and Republicans 65 thought global warming was caused by pollution from human activities it was effective because by 2021 only 32 of Republicans agreed though 88 of Democrats did 164 According to Kert Davies the founder and director of Climate Investigations Center you d have a carbon tax or something better today if not for the Kochs They stopped anything from happening back when there was still time 32 In January 2011 Rolling Stone magazine included the Koch brothers on its list of the top twelve people blocking progress on global warming 165 In 2011 Los Angeles Times reporter Margot Roosevelt called the Koch Brothers the nation s most prominent funders of efforts to prevent curbs on fossil fuel burning 166 In 2011 and 2012 Koch Industries Public Sector LLC the lobbying arm of Koch Industries pushed for the Energy Tax Prevention Act which would have prevented the Environmental Protection Agency EPA from regulating greenhouse gases according to the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University 167 168 Regarding public opinion over 500 million was spent on a campaign to manipulate and mislead the public about the threat posed by climate change between 2003 and 2010 according to researcher Robert Brule 169 Although much of the funding was untraceable often passed through Donors Trust or Donors Capital Fund which are not required to disclose their donors 170 140 conservative foundations many if not all affiliated with the Koch network gave 5299 grants to 91 different non profit organizations 169 The environmentalist group Greenpeace writes that organizations that the Koch brothers help fund such as Americans for Prosperity The Heritage Foundation the Cato Institute and the Manhattan Institute were active in questioning global warming 171 Through Americans for Prosperity the Koch brothers influenced more than 400 members of Congress to sign a pledge to vote against legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue 167 172 173 Political scientist Theda Skocpol describes 2007 as the turning point in the fight for global warming denial Climate denial got disseminated deliberately and rapidly from think tanks tomes to the daily media fare of about 30 to 40 of the U S populace 174 This involved saturation coverage by conservative media portraying climate scientists as swindler pushing a radical partisan anti American agenda 175 Among the climate change research projects funded in part by Koch brother affiliated groups were the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project and one by climate change denier Willie Soon The Koch Foundation was a major funder of the Berkeley Earth an effort started by two scientists Richard A Muller a UC Berkeley physicist and Elizabeth Muller who found merit in some of the concerns of climate skeptics 176 and believed global warming climate data was flawed 177 The Mullers organized a group of scientists in early 2010 to reanalyze the Earth s surface temperature record 176 178 Unfortunately for the Koch s campaign Richard Muller later reversed his views issuing a statement in mid 2012 supporting scientific consensus 177 179 The Charles G Koch Foundation gave the Smithsonian Institution two grants totaling 175 000 in 2005 6 and again in 2010 to support research of climate change denier Willie Soon The foundation helped finance a 2007 analysis suggesting that climate change was not a threat to the survival of polar bears 180 which was questioned by other researchers 181 but nonetheless echoed throughout the Koch network 182 Jane Mayer reports that Soon accepted more than 1 2 million from the fossil fuel industry from 2005 to 2015 without disclosing it 182 Soon has stated that he has never been motivated by financial reward in any of my scientific research 183 At the state level Koch Industries unsuccessfully supported efforts in 2010 to roll back emission regulations in California 184 185 The Koch brothers Lambe Foundation has donated to the American Energy Alliance an offshoot of the Institute for Energy Research that promotes oil and gas energy exploration and production and looser government regulations to encourage them 186 In March 2015 the general counsel of Koch Industries in a letter responding to a request from three Senate Democrats wrote that The activity efforts about which you inquire and Koch s involvement if any in them are at the core of the fundamental liberties protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and declined to cooperate with the senators inquiry into the funding of researchers skeptical of climate change 187 188 The Kochs have also funded efforts to stop the growth of solar power 189 190 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act edit Koch brothers funded groups including Americans for Prosperity Pacific Research Institute Center to Protect Patient Rights and Generation Opportunity opposed the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act PPACA commonly called Obamacare favoring a free market approach 191 192 Koch brothers funded Americans for Prosperity and Generation Opportunity 193 ran more than 3 million worth of advertisements opposing the Affordable Care Act including a series of ads in which Uncle Sam was depicted as a creepy doctor The ads are directed at women and young adults and are designed to undermine confidence 194 and to dissuade younger people from enrolling in health care coverage through exchanges which opened October 1 2013 191 195 196 In October 2013 the Americans for Prosperity group began a campaign to oppose Obamacare in the state of Virginia 197 Criminal justice reform edit The Koch brothers have advocated reform of the United States criminal justice system In 2011 Koch Industries received a Defender of Justice award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in recognition of their financial support for providing low income defendants with competent legal representation 198 The Kochs stepped up their work on the issue in 2015 partnering with left leaning groups to promote reforms to reduce incarceration in the United States The Kochs aligned with President Barack Obama in heading criminal justice reform citing poor conditions and an outdated system 199 In addition to the president the Kochs have partnered with groups such as the ACLU the Center for American Progress Families Against Mandatory Minimums the Coalition for Public Safety and the MacArthur Foundation 198 199 The Kochs along with their partners seek to aid those suffering from systemic overcriminalization and overincarceration who are generally from low income and minority communities Another goal for the Kochs criminal justice reforms is to reduce recidivism and diminish barriers faced by rehabilitated citizens seeking reintroduction into the work force and society 200 201 The Kochs and the ACLU are also invested in putting an end to Asset forfeiture by law enforcement which deprives persons of often the bulk of their private property 202 In July 2015 after the rare show of bipartisanship President Obama praised the Kochs work on the issue 203 Similarly civil rights activist Anthony Van Jones lent a comparable praise towards the Kochs actions 200 Although critics have called the announcement a public relations stunt on behalf of the Kochs in the midst of media attacks several media outlets noted that Charles Koch had been making substantial donations for criminal justice reform for almost a decade before the news was made public 198 199 Among the reforms are a push for further mens rea requirements meaning criminal intent must be proven to establish fault The Justice Department noted that some white collar crimes including food safety violations and corporate pollution would become more difficult to prosecute However the Justice Department has been accused by whom of over criminalizing persons who have committed minor infractions without intent or even knowledge of the law In essence the reforms could potentially overturn Ignorantia juris non excusat statutes 204 In early 2018 the Koch network continued its mission to promote criminal justice reform and anti recidivism programs through discussions with the Department of Justice in Washington and initiatives like the Safe Streets and Second changes program 205 206 While many see Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a potential roadblock to the Koch network s goal of broader criminal justice reform in the United States Mark Holden vice president and general counsel for Koch Industries notes that they are making inroads with the Attorney General starting with prison reform 207 208 The Koch network at their 2018 meeting the launch of Safe Streets and Second Chances announced a 4 million pilot project designed to shift the American criminal justice system from punishment to prioritizing rehabilitation 209 The initiative led by Koch Industries in conjunction with the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Right on Crime will launch in Florida Louisiana Texas and Pennsylvania 210 Researchers will develop individualized re entry plans for over 1 000 participants at 8 sites and then analyze the results 206 211 COVID 19 pandemic edit The Koch funded American Institute for Economic Research sponsored the Great Barrington Declaration a statement that advocates an alternative risk based approach to the COVID 19 pandemic that involves Focused Protection of those most at risk and seeks to avoid or minimize the societal harm of the COVID 19 lockdowns 212 213 214 The Charles Koch Institute is a major benefactor of the Independent Women s Forum an American conservative non profit organization focused on economic policy issues of concern to women which opposed efforts to combat the coronavirus through mask mandates in schools 215 The group circulated a template letter to its members encouraging them to personalize and mail it to your own school superintendents and administrators principals and teachers Among other things the proposed letter asserted that young kids do not significantly spread COVID either and claimed that common sense teaches that requiring masks in school may lead to anxiety depression decreases in socialization skills and increases in tooth decay in children 216 During the COVID 19 pandemic the Koch network funded several research projects that expressed support for lockdowns and similar Non pharmaceutical intervention epidemiology policies In March 2020 the Koch funded Mercatus Center at George Mason University awarded an Emergent Ventures grant to Neil M Ferguson of Imperial College London for good policy thinking in support of his COVID 19 epidemiological model 217 218 Ferguson s model proved highly influential in inducing public health officials to adopt lockdown policies worldwide 219 A grant from the Charles Koch Foundation funded a National Bureau of Economic Research study finding that California s shelter in place style lockdown policy led to as many as 1 661 fewer COVID 19 deaths in the spring of 2020 220 A Koch Foundation grant supported a study by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics attributing a Superspreader event to the lack of social distancing at the August 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 221 The Koch Foundation similarly funded a set of studies by faculty at Bowling Green State University arguing that political opposition to lockdowns and non compliance with lockdown measures were explained by libertarian and neoliberal elements within Christian nationalism and xenophobic beliefs within these groups 222 223 Gay rights edit David Koch voiced support for gay marriage in 2015 signed an amicus curiae in the DeBoer v Snyder case which supported same sex couples constitutional right to marry 224 Some gay rights advocates have complained that despite the brothers vocal ideological libertarian stand against government intrusions including laws that criminalized homosexuality their devotion to conservative causes sometimes led them to support anti gay rights politicians such as Vice President Mike Pence whose two campaigns for governor of Indiana the network contributed heavily to and organizations such as the American Legislative Exchange Council which at least in its early years strongly opposed LGBTQ equality 225 Abortion edit David Koch also voiced support for women s right to choose 11 However again critics noted that the Koch brothers network s deep ties to the conservative movement meant it helped to bankroll the anti abortion groups such as a 500 000 donation to the anti abortion Susan B Anthony List that successfully supported Supreme Court nominees Neil Gorsuch Kavanaugh Amy Coney Barrett who helped overturn Roe v Wade ruling 226 227 In 2010 the Koch brothers network group Center to Protect Patient Rights provided Americans United for Life Action the 501 c 4 wing of Americans United for Life with 39 percent of the group s operating budget that year 227 In the same year it granted more than 1 million to the Susan B Anthony SBA List which amounted about half of the 2 million the group spent that year on advertising for anti choice candidates and against pro choice candidates in state and federal races across the country 227 A Koch network spokesman was quoted as saying We do not and have never worked on the issue of abortion The grant in 2017 to the Susan B Anthony List was the last payment on a previous commitment by Freedom Partners which was intended to support SBA s grassroots efforts to get out the vote among those concerned about government spending not issue advocacy 226 two major organizations linked to Charles and David Koch the center to Protect Patient Rights and Freedom Partners and found that both were funding millions of dollars into the movement to ban abortion Critical race theory edit Opposition to what was purported to be critical race theory was promoted by organizations funded by the Koch brothers in 2021 228 However in September 2021 leaders of the Koch network came out in opposition to government bans of critical race theory 229 Evolution edit In 2009 David Koch gave the Smithsonian Institution 15 million for the purpose of building a hall covering 6 million years of human evolution He has given the American Museum of Natural History 20 million and the Smithsonian 35 million to build dinosaur halls 230 Salon writes that one of David Koch s biggest hobbies beyond his more general philanthropic pursuits is paleontology and that Koch Industries make their money from the daily business of rock strata and fossil fuels the kind of practical geological work that leaves no doubt about the age of the Earth In the Archeology interview David Koch spoke about young earth creationists with a kind of bewildered disdain He had nothing but kind words for Darwin 231 Immigration edit Following President Biden s 2022 State of the Union address Jorge Lima senior vice president for policy at the Koch brothers connected Americans for Prosperity stated Rather than continuing to use immigration as a wedge issue we urge lawmakers to roll up their sleeves and drive solutions that both tackle these issues and have broad public support But Congress must do the work to get this done we are devoting resources and marshaling our activists across the nation to contact their elected officials share their support and urgency and drive decisive action on these solutions without delay 232 Response to liberal critics editResponse to Harry Reid edit In 2014 Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused the Koch brothers of trying to buy the country in a statement made on the floor of the Senate Koch Companies Public Sector CEO Philip Ellender responded Sen Reid s divisive remarks were not only disrespectful and beneath the office he holds they were indicative of what lengths he and his Democratic allies will go to eliminate and silence their political opposition 233 Jane Mayer article in The New Yorker edit According to journalist Jane Mayer The Koch brothers are known for their strongly conservative politics and for their efforts to finance a network of advocacy groups whose goal is to move the country to the right 234 Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic s Daily Dish defended the Kochs saying that while he respected Mayer as best I can tell the Koch brothers are legitimately upset by some aspects of the piece and anyone who reads it should also look at the rebuttals from libertarians who are persuasively pushing back against some of its conclusions 235 A Koch Industries company spokesperson issued a statement saying No funding has been provided by Koch companies the Koch foundation or Charles Koch or David Koch specifically to support the tea parties 16 Koch Industries posted a reply on its website It acknowledged funding libertarian and conservative causes 236 but stated there were inaccuracies and distortions in Mayer s article and that she failed to identify alleged conflicts of interest on the part of several persons whom she quoted 237 See also edit nbsp Libertarianism portal nbsp Conservatism portalCampaign finance in the United States Citizen Koch 2013 documentary film Koch Brothers Exposed a documentary film about the political activities of the Koch brothers KochPAC the Koch Industries Inc Political Action Committee Political finance Climate changeReferences editNotes edit the term Kochtopus was coined in service of showing how far reaching the power of the Koch network was but the originators of the term were not liberal or leftist critics but paleo libertarians who insisted that the network s influence was nefarious because the DC organizations they fund are too liberal 45 Other hugely wealthy archconservative families that preceded the Kochs in working to change how Americans thought and voted 53 include Richard Mellon Scaife one of the heirs to the Mellon banking and Gulf Oil Fortunes Harry and Lynde Bradley money from defense contracts Harry Lynde Bradley died in 1965 but the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation supports conservative causes John M Olin chemical and munitions company Olin died in 1982 but his foundation continued funding conservative causes until 2005 when it dissolved Coors brewing family DeVos family founders of Amway marketing and the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation 54 Investigative reporter Lee Fang discovered that a volunteer with FreedomWorks was circulating a memo instructing Tea Partiers on how to disrupt the meetings 90 Citations edit a b c Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday pp 2 3 a b c d e f g h Cillizza Chris August 23 2019 The Point How the Koch brothers fundamentally changed modern politics CNN Retrieved December 19 2022 article by Charles Koch The Business Community Resisting Regulation in the Libertarian Review August 1978 quoted in Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 54 Dryzek John S Norgaard Richard B Schlosberg David 2011 The Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society OUP Oxford ISBN 978 0199566600 a b Fisher Daniel December 5 2012 Inside The Koch Empire How The Brothers Plan To Reshape America Forbes Retrieved December 15 2013 a b c d Severns Maggie July 28 2018 Trump tariffs assailed at Koch network gathering Politico Retrieved December 17 2018 Bloomberg Billionaires Index Bloomberg Retrieved December 21 2022 The brothers settled in 2001 in Kroll Luisa June 1 2012 Billionaire Family Feuds The High Stakes Of Dysfunction And Dissent Forbes Retrieved July 10 2012 a b Belkin Douglas November 13 2020 Charles Koch Says His Partisanship Was a Mistake The Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved March 23 2022 At 85 the libertarian tycoon who spent decades funding conservative causes says he wants a final act building bridges across political divides a b c d e Black Eric May 19 2014 Move from Libertarian Party to GOP Koch brothers change tactics not beliefs www minnpost com Retrieved May 19 2014 a b c d e Fischer Sara December 14 2014 David Koch is pro choice supports gay rights just not Democrats CNN Politics CNN Retrieved March 23 2022 I m basically a libertarian And I m a conservative on economic matters and I m a social liberal Koch who supports gay rights and women s right to choose said if candidates he gives to don t share those ideals That s their problem I do have those views I m really focused intensely on economic and fiscal issues because if those go bad the country as a whole suffers terribly a b c d e f g h Quixotic 80 Campaign Gave Birth to Kochs Powerful Network May 17 2014 NYT Farrell Justin January 5 2016 Corporate funding and ideological polarization about climate change Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113 1 92 97 Bibcode 2016PNAS 113 92F doi 10 1073 pnas 1509433112 ISSN 0027 8424 PMC 4711825 PMID 26598653 Climate Douglas Fischer The Daily Dark Money Funds Climate Change Denial Effort Scientific American a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Not just Koch brothers New study reveals funders behind climate change denial effort ScienceDaily a b c d e f g h i Mayer Jane August 30 2010 Covert Operations The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama The New Yorker Vogel Kenneth P October 27 2016 Behind the retreat of the Koch brothers operation Politico Retrieved October 27 2016 Jason Linkins May 30 2014 Better know a Koch Brother HuffPost Retrieved December 17 2022 a b c Hohmann James May 20 2019 The Koch network is reorganizing under a new name and with new priorities Washington Post Retrieved May 20 2019 a b WIRESTONE CLAY October 7 2021 OPINION Koch network lurks behind school mask battles despite soothing new tone at the top Kansas Reflector Retrieved January 9 2023 Davis Jonathan T 1997 Forbes Richest People The Forbes Annual Profile of the World s Wealthiest Men and Women Wiley p 138 ISBN 978 0471177517 Founding member 1958 John Birch Society reportedly after seeing Russian friends liquidated Hoover s 500 Profiles of America s Largest Business Enterprises Hoover s Business Press 1996 p 286 ISBN 978 1573110099 In 1929 Koch took his process to the Soviet Union but he grew disenchanted with Stalinism and returned home to become a founding member of the anticommunist John Birch Society Wayne Leslie December 7 1986 Brothers at Odds The New York Times New York p Sec 6 Part 2 p 100 col 1 ISSN 0362 4331 He returned a fervent anti Communist who would later become a founding member of the John Birch Society Diamond Sara 1995 Roads to Dominion Right Wing Movements and Political Power in the United States New York Guilford Press p 324 n 86 ISBN 978 0898628623 Jane Mayer Covert Operations The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama The New Yorker Retrieved September 7 2010 Jacobson Louis April 3 2014 Charles Koch n Op Ed Says His Political Engagement Began Only in the Last Decade PoliticFact com Retrieved January 28 2023 Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right pp 368 424 5 a b c d Kenneth P Vogel August 30 2012 David Koch breaks from GOP on gay marriage taxes defense cuts Politico Retrieved December 23 2022 Kerby Phil September 13 1979 The Libertarians Freedom to a Fault Los Angeles Times p D1 a b c Curtis Charlotte October 16 1984 Man Without a Candidate The New York Times Doherty Brian November 17 2008 Where Did the Libertarian Party Go Wrong Reason Retrieved September 9 2011 a b Robinson Nathan August 28 2019 The Koch brothers tried to build a plutocracy in the name of freedom The Guardian Retrieved December 24 2022 Mayer Jane 2017 14 Selling the New Koch Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 374 Kate Zernike October 25 2010 Secretive Republican Donors Are Planning Ahead The New York Times 25 Years at Cato PDF Retrieved July 10 2009 Brian Doherty 2008 Radicals for Capitalism A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement PublicAffairs p 410 ISBN 978 1586485726 One longtime Koch lieutenant characterized the overall strategy of Koch s libertarian funding over the years with both a theatrical metaphor and an Austrian capital theory one Politicians ultimately are just actors playing out a script The idea is one gets better and quicker results aiming not at the actors but at the scriptwriters to help supply the themes and words for the scripts to try to influence the areas where policy ideas percolate from academia and think tanks Ideas then are the capital goods that go into building policy as a finished product and there are insufficient libertarian capital goods at the top of the structure of production to build the policies libertarians demand Charles G Koch Summer Fellow Program Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University Archived from the original on August 30 2010 Retrieved September 10 2010 The Charles G Koch Summer Fellow Program combines a paid public policy internship with two career skills seminars and weekly policy lectures You ll gain real world experience take a crash course in market based policy analysis and hone your professional skills The intensive ten week program begins in June and includes a 1 500 stipend and a housing allowance a b c d e f g h i j k l Hertel Fernandez Alexander Skocpol Theda Five Myths About the Koch Brothers And Why It Matters To Set Them Straight Bill Moyers Retrieved December 19 2022 Bennett Laurie April 18 2012 A Tip for Kochologists Forbes Retrieved January 11 2023 Weigel David March 24 2014 Bashing the Kochs Can Triple a Democrat s Fundraising Haul Slate Retrieved December 23 2022 Koch Charles U S Economic Prosperity Demands More Freedom The Kansas City Star Kansas City Star Archived from the original on March 21 2012 Retrieved May 22 2011 password required to access URL A Consistent Principled Effort Koch Industries Retrieved September 9 2011 Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 6 a b c d e Tucker Pete December 1 2016 Did the Kochs Bring Us President Trump Huffington Post Retrieved December 24 2022 Friedersdorf Conor August 30 2010 The Koch Brothers Profiled The Atlantic Retrieved January 10 2023 Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right p 55 a b c d Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right p 9 a b c d Bykowicz Julie July 9 2012 Romney s Koch Problem 3 Million Bloomberg News Retrieved July 9 2012 a b c Confessore Nicholas July 30 2015 Koch Brothers Brave Spotlight to Try to Alter Their Image The New York Times New York Times Retrieved January 12 2023 Mayer Jane 2017 Introduction The Investors Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 12 Mayer Jane 2017 Introduction The Investors Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 17 a b Mayer Jane 2017 Introduction The Investors Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday pp 12 18 Mayer Jane 2017 Introduction The Investors Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 4 Mayer Jane 2017 1 The Investors Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Ebook ed p 51 a b Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Funded by the Koch Bros Mother Jones February 18 2011 Retrieved April 15 2011 Names in the News David and Charles Koch followthemoney org Archived from the original on December 13 2011 Woody Todd March 15 2011 A Foil for the Koch Brothers The New York Times Retrieved October 5 2012 Roosevelt Margot September 4 2010 Bid to suspend California global warming law gets million from billionaire brothers firm Los Angeles Times Names in the News David and Charles Koch followthemoney org Koch Brothers pledge to defeat Obama in 2012 theatlanticwire com The Koch Brothers Pledged 60 Million to Defeat Obama Yahoo News February 3 2012 Maguire Robert December 3 2013 At Least 1 in 4 Dark Money Dollars in 2012 Had Koch Links OpenSecrets Retrieved December 3 2013 Kraske Steve December 5 2013 When it comes to political donations the Koch Brothers trump all Kansas City Star Retrieved December 5 2013 a b Campaign Finance Limits and Deadlines Wisconsin Government Accountability Board Archived from the original on October 14 2016 Retrieved November 5 2013 a b Continetti Matthew April 4 2011 The Paranoid Style in Liberal Politics The Weekly Standard The Koch brothers alone gave twice as much money to Scott Walker as the total amount of money raised by Tom Barrett PolitiFact Retrieved November 5 2013 David Koch intends to cure cancer in his lifetime and remake American politics The Palm Beach Post February 2012 Carey Nick February 16 2012 Money flows into Wisconsin governor recall fight Reuters Retrieved November 5 2013 Gendar Alison Mitt Romney hits the Hamptons and adds 3 million to his campaign war chest New York Daily News retrieved July 9 2012 Rutenberg Jim The Republicans 3 Million Weekend in the Hamptons The New York Times retrieved July 8 2012 O Connor Claire Mitt Romney Has A Koch Problem Say Protesters At Billionaire s Hamptons Fundraiser Forbes retrieved July 9 2012 Confessor Nicholas April 20 2015 Kochs Signal Support for Scott Walker The New York Times Retrieved April 20 2015 The Koch Brothers Are Reportedly Ready To Back Scott Walker Huffington Post April 20 2015 Retrieved April 20 2015 Confessor Nicholas January 26 2015 Koch Brothers Budget of 889 Million for 2016 Is on Par With Both Parties Spending The New York Times Retrieved April 20 2015 Donald Trump won t be getting Koch brothers money Newsweek August 2 2016 Retrieved June 6 2018 Pengelly Martin July 31 2016 Charles Koch says rumours he will support Hillary Clinton are blood libel The Guardian Retrieved June 6 2018 Forster Katie February 3 2017 Koch brothers lead billionaire resistance against Donald Trump The Independent Retrieved June 5 2018 Billionaire Koch brothers take on Trump over tariffs BBC June 5 2018 Retrieved June 5 2018 a b Mayer Jane 2017 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Anchor books Ebook ed p 32 Mayer Jane 2017 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Anchor books Ebook ed pp 35 6 PLAYERS GUIDE 2022 Americans for Prosperity FactCheck org June 28 2022 Retrieved March 18 2023 Arnsdorf Isaac February 5 2023 Koch network to back alternative to Trump after sitting out recent primaries Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved February 5 2023 https apnews com article nikki haley koch network endorsement desantis trump 938d932aaf2b9b299c32b4d736aaade4 Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right p 373 Brian Doherty interview with Jane Mayer cited in Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right pp 373 4 Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right pp 374 5 Mayer Jane January 24 2017 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Knopf Doubleday p 7 ISBN 9780307947901 Retrieved March 18 2023 Monbiot George October 25 2010 The Tea Party movement deluded and inspired by billionaires The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved August 9 2023 The Secret Origins of the Tea Party TIME com Retrieved August 9 2023 a b Mayer Jane January 24 2017 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Knopf Doubleday p 238 ISBN 9780307947901 Retrieved March 18 2023 Kroll Andy January 26 2016 POLITICS JANUARY 26 2015 The Koch Brothers Network Aims to Spend 889 Million on the 2016 Elections It s official The Kochs and their rich friends are the new third party Mother Jones Retrieved December 23 2022 a b c d Peoples Steve July 28 2018 Koch brothers rebrand underway as they continue to pump money into politics Chicago Tribune Retrieved December 17 2018 a b Severns Maggie December 14 2018 The Next Koch Doesn t Like Politics Politico Peoples Steve July 29 2018 Koch brothers rebrand underway still a conservative force AP News Stephen Moore May 6 2006 The Weekend Interview with Charles Koch Private Enterprise The Wall Street Journal p A8 Eric Lipton February 21 2011 Billionaire Brothers Money Plays Role in Wisconsin Dispute The New York Times Charles G Koch September 24 2010 Invitation to Seminar Understanding and Addressing Threats to American Free Enterprise and Prosperity PDF Sally Covington Moving A Public Policy Agenda The Strategic Philanthropy of Conservative Foundations Washington DC National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy 1997 Dowie Mark 2012 American Foundations An Investigative History MIT Press p 19 ISBN 978 0262541411 Behan Richard W 2004 Degenerate Democracy The Neoliberal and Corporate Capture of America s Agenda Public Land amp Resources Law Review 24 9 24 Mayer Jane 2016 Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 147 MacLean Nancy 2018 2017 Democracy in Chains The Deep History of the Radical Right s Stealth Plan for America New York Penguin Books p 368 ISBN 978 1101980972 OCLC 1029879485 Wenzl Roy January 3 2010 Liz Koch talks about foundation s benefits to Kansas The Wichita Eagle Retrieved December 4 2015 a b Williams Joseph P June 26 2015 Beyond the Boogeyman U S News amp World Report Retrieved December 4 2015 What tends to go unmentioned the owners of Koch Industries one of the world s biggest conglomerates have kicked in an estimated 1 5 billion or so to an array of causes and institutions most liberals love public television medical research higher education environmental stewardship criminal justice reform and the arts West Melanie Grayce August 3 2014 Charitable Gifts From Wealthy Koch Brothers Often Prompt Partisan Reactions The Wall Street Journal Retrieved December 4 2015 Bennett Laurie April 18 2012 A Tip for Kochologists Forbes p 2 Retrieved July 3 2012 Nonprofit Organization Report Claude R Lamb Charitable Foundation eri nonprofit salaries com Surgey Nick May 2 2014 One of the Koch Family Controlled Foundations Has Quietly Folded Huffington Post Retrieved December 4 2015 a b c d Hamburger Tom Kathleen Hennessey Neela Banerjee February 6 2011 Koch brothers now at heart of GOP power Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on February 17 2011 Retrieved February 6 2011 a b c Levinthal Dave March 27 2014 Inside the Koch brothers campus crusade Center for Public Integrity Retrieved December 4 2015 Rosen Jeffrey April 17 2005 The Unregulated Offensive The New York Times Retrieved December 4 2015 a b Gold Matea January 5 2014 The players in the Koch backed 400 million political donor network Washington Post Retrieved December 4 2015 a b Lurie Julia Schulman Daniel Raja Tanseem November 3 2014 The Koch 130 Mother Jones Retrieved December 4 2015 a b Monbiot George October 25 2010 The Tea Party movement deluded and inspired by billionaires The Guardian Retrieved December 4 2015 Huffington Post Canada April 26 2012 retrieved April 26 2012 Fraser Institute accepted 500K dollars in funding from oil billionaires Archived 2012 04 27 at the Wayback Machine Vancouver Observer April 25 2012 retrieved April 26 2012 Bronstein Scott Whitaker ran conservative group funded by dark money CNN Retrieved November 13 2018 Zeitlin Matthew The New Acting Attorney General Was Previously a Dark Money Funded Clinton Antagonist Slate Magazine Retrieved November 13 2018 Cato Institute Board of Directors accessed February 1 2011 a b Koch Industries Inc Leadership Koch Industries Archived from the original on September 9 2014 Retrieved February 6 2011 a b Peter Overby February 25 2011 Billionaire Brothers In Spotlight In Wis Union Battle National Public Radio Vogel Kenneth P May 9 2014 Koch brothers Americans for Prosperity plans 125 million spending spree Politico Retrieved May 6 2015 The Koch brothers main political arm intends to spend more than 125 million this year on an aggressive ground air and data operation benefiting conservatives according to a memo distributed to major donors and sources familiar with the group The projected budget for Americans for Prosperity would be unprecedented for a private political group in a midterm and would likely rival even the spending of the Republican and Democratic parties congressional campaign arms Goldman Andrew July 25 2010 The Billionaire s Party David Koch is New York s second richest man a celebrated patron of the arts and the tea party s wallet New York magazine Retrieved March 25 2015 AFPF is now Koch s primary political advocacy group Beckel Michael September 4 2014 The Kochs Political Ad Machine Slate Retrieved April 20 2015 In all Americans for Prosperity the Koch brothers flagship political operation alone has aired more than 27 000 ads in a combined nine battleground states according to Kantar Media CMAG a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a Unknown parameter agency ignored help Kroll Andy November 6 2014 2014 The Year of Koch Mother Jones Retrieved May 9 2015 The Koch brothers flagship organization Americans for Prosperity had an equally stellar Election Day Seitz Wald Alex September 24 2013 David Koch Seeded Major Tea Party Group Private Donor List Reveals National Journal Retrieved March 20 2015 But a donor list filed with the IRS labeled not open for public inspection from 2003 the year of AFP s first filing lists David Koch as by far the single largest contributor to its foundation donating 850 000 Levy Pema September 24 2013 Money In Politics The Companies Behind David Koch s Americans For Prosperity International Business Times Retrieved March 20 2015 David Koch was the top contributor providing 850 000 Goldenberg Suzanne October 13 2010 Tea Party movement Billionaire Koch brothers who helped it grow The Guardian Retrieved March 24 2015 Five years ago my brothers Charles and I provided the funds to start Americans for Prosperity David Koch told AFP s annual Defending the Dream gathering in 2009 It is beyond my wildest dreams that AFP has grown into this enormous organization The American dream of free enterprise and capitalism is alive and well Weisman Jonathan October 14 2010 Koch Industries Shifts on Tea Party The Wall Street Journal Retrieved May 29 2015 Five years ago my brother Charles and I provided the funds to start the Americans for Prosperity Koch says Caldwell Leigh Ann January 15 2015 Koch backed Group Vows To Hold GOP s Feet To The Fire NBC News Retrieved June 5 2015 Fish Sandra August 12 2014 Americans for Prosperity Koch brothers advocacy gets local in Colorado Al Jazeera Retrieved May 11 2015 Vogel Kenneth P August 9 2010 The Tea party s growing money problem Politico Retrieved June 14 2011 Fenn Peter February 2 2011 Tea Party Funding Koch Brothers Emerge From Anonymity U S News amp World Report Retrieved June 13 2011 O Connor Clare Billionaires List Koch Brothers Right Wing Bankrollers Forbes Magazine Retrieved July 20 2014 Lichtblau Eric March 6 2012 Cato Institute Is Caught in a Rift Over Its Direction The New York Times Retrieved March 16 2012 Koch Brothers Attempted Takeover Of Cato Could Be Part Of Bold Plan Update The Huffington Post March 22 2012 Retrieved June 30 2015 Weigel David Cato Goes to War The Koch brothers have launched an extraordinary campaign to take control of America s most respected libertarian think tank Will they destroy it slate com March 5 2012 Lichtblau Eric June 25 2012 Cato Institute and Koch Brothers Reach Agreement The New York Times Retrieved July 8 2012 Fang Lee April 28 2015 Libertarian Koch brothers finance group protesting gay marriage at supreme Court The intercept First Look Media Retrieved July 28 2018 Confessore Nicholas September 12 2013 Tax Filings Hint at Extent of Koch Brothers Reach The New York Times Retrieved September 17 2013 Seitz Wald Alex September 13 2013 Koch Brothers Break New Ground in Dark Money National Journal Retrieved September 16 2013 Blumenthal Paul September 12 2013 Koch Brothers Respond To Report On Freedom Partners Their New Political Organization Huffington Post Retrieved September 16 2013 Zornick George September 23 2014 How the Koch Network Exploited the Veterans Affairs Crisis The Nation Barker Kim Meyer Theodoric March 17 2014 Who Controls the Kochs Political Network ASMI SLAH and TOHE ProPublica Retrieved October 28 2015 Gold Matea January 5 2014 The players in the Koch backed 400 million political donor network The Washington Post Retrieved October 28 2015 VanDiver Shawn December 14 2016 Concerned Veterans for America A Wolf in Sheep s Clothing Huffington Post Retrieved December 23 2022 Issues cei org Frates Chris November 21 2013 Koch Bros backed group gave millions to small business lobby CNNPolitics Kenneth P Vogel February 20 2013 Koch World reboots Politico HANANOKI ERIC June 4 2015 The Libre Initiative A Koch Funded Group Being Passed Off As Empowering Hispanics media matters Retrieved December 23 2022 i360 Sourcewatch Retrieved December 23 2022 Lewis Charles July 1 2013 Koch millions spread influence through nonprofits colleges Investigative Reporting Workshop American University School of Communication Retrieved December 24 2022 Last update on record at archive org said 190 in Doing Good in Many Ways Koch family foundations and philanthropy via Internet Archive Archived from the original on September 12 2012 and 269 schools listed in University Programs Supported by the Charles Koch Foundation PDF Koch family foundations and philanthropy September 2013 Archived from the original PDF on October 14 2013 Retrieved October 14 2013 Hundley Kris May 9 2011 Billionaire s role in hiring decisions at Florida State University raises questions Tampa Bay Times Archived from the original on January 6 2014 Retrieved January 6 2014 The foundation partnering with FSU is one of several non profits funded by Charles Koch pronounced coke 75 and his brother David 71 The aim To advance their belief through think tanks political organizations and academia that government taxes and regulations impinge on prosperity Chamlee Virginia January 26 2012 FSU students challenge school s Koch agreement Florida Independent Retrieved January 6 2014 Students want Koch corporate influence off campus insidehighered com November 4 2014 Sullivan Sean June 6 2014 Koch brothers donate 25 million to United Negro College Fund Washington Post Retrieved August 26 2014 Union halts support for United Negro College Fund over Koch brothers grant New York Post Associated Press July 10 2014 Retrieved July 11 2014 Mayer Jane 2017 8 The Fossils Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Ebook ed Mayer Jane 2017 8 The Fossils Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Anchor books Ebook ed Doubleday pp 641 642 a b Mayer Jane 2016 8 The Fossils Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday pp 200 202 Burrough Bryan August 15 2019 The Truth About Koch Industries The New York Times Retrieved August 27 2019 Leonard Christopher 2019 Kochland The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America New York Simon amp Schuster p 704 ISBN 978 1 4767 7538 8 Global Warming Attitudes Frozen Since 2016 Gallop Retrieved December 26 2022 7 Tim Phillips President Americans for Prosperity Rolling Stone February 3 2011 Retrieved September 8 2014 Margot Roosevelt Berkeley scientists climate data review puts them at center of national debate Los Angeles Times March 31 2011 a b Rayfield Jullian July 1 2013 Koch brothers helped derail climate change with lawmaker pledge Salon Retrieved December 14 2013 A new two year study by the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University demonstrates how the Koch brothers have helped to derail climate change legislation Holmberg Eric July 1 2013 Koch Climate pledge strategy continues to grow Investigative Reporting Workshop American University School of Communication Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved December 14 2013 a b Mayer Jane 2016 8 The Fossils Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 205 Mayer Jane 2016 8 The Fossils Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday pp 205 7 Vidal John US oil company donated millions to climate sceptic groups says Greenpeace The Guardian March 30 2010 Mayer Jane July 1 2013 Koch Pledge Tied to Congressional Climate Inaction The New Yorker Retrieved September 21 2013 Don t Use Climate Change to Hide Tax Hikes Americans for Prosperity Retrieved September 21 2013 Theda Skocpol 2014 Making Sense of the Past and Future Politics of Global Warming Mayer Jane 2016 8 The Fossils Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 213 a b About Berkeley Earth Retrieved December 24 2022 a b Perlman David July 31 2012 Staunch opponent of theories on causes of global warming explains his about face San Francisco CA San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved September 21 2013 Rust Susanne March 1 2011 Berkeley project seeks to resolve climate change debate Archived from the original on March 21 2017 Retrieved November 9 2017 Wile Rob July 30 2012 Everyone s Talking About The Koch Brothers Funded Study That Proves Climate Change Is Real Business Insider Retrieved September 21 2013 Zeller Jr Tom March 30 2010 Greenpeace Takes Aim at Koch Industries The New York Times Stirling Ian Derocher Andrew E Gough William A Rode Karyn 2008 Response to Dyck et al 2007 on polar bears and climate change in western Hudson Bay Ecological Complexity 5 3 193 201 doi 10 1016 j ecocom 2008 01 004 a b Mayer Jane 2016 8 The Fossils Dark Money The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right Doubleday p 210 Vidal John June 27 2011 Climate sceptic Willie Soon received 1m from oil companies papers show The Guardian London The Kochs Are Plotting A Multimillion Dollar Assault On Electric Vehicles The Huffington Post February 18 2016 Retrieved May 25 2016 Koch was also a big donor to the ballot campaign Rutten Tim September 25 2010 Fiorina s billionaire backers Los Angeles Times Retrieved September 27 2010 Evans Will September 22 2008 New Group Tied To Oil Industry Runs Ads Promoting Drilling Attacking Democrat NPR Retrieved September 9 2011 Cama Timothy March 11 2015 Koch fighting climate research funding probe The Hill Retrieved March 17 2015 Yuhas Alan March 13 2015 Koch Industries refuses to comply with US senators climate investigation The Guardian Retrieved March 18 2015 Dickinson Tim February 11 2016 The Koch Brothers Dirty War on Solar Power Rolling Stone Halper Evan April 19 2014 Koch brothers big utilities attack solar green energy policies Los Angeles Times a b Franke Ruta Garance September 19 2013 Creepy Anti Obamacare Ads Suggest Where Uncle Sam Wants to Stick It The Atlantic Retrieved September 21 2013 Ungar Rick December 27 2011 Koch Brothers Financed Research Institute Steps Up Misleading Obamacare Attacks Forbes Retrieved September 21 2013 Confessore Nicholas April 30 2013 Koch Brothers Plan More Political Involvement for Their Conservative Network The New York Times Retrieved September 21 2013 Condon Stephanie July 8 2012 Koch brothers group launches ad raising questions about Obamacare CBS News Retrieved September 21 2013 Schouten Fredreka September 19 2013 Koch backed group launches new attack on health care law USA Today Retrieved September 21 2013 Pickert Kate September 19 2013 Spread Your Legs for Uncle Sam Time Retrieved September 21 2013 Stolberg Sheryl Gay October 18 2013 States Are Focus of Effort to Foil Health Care Law The New York Times Retrieved October 19 2013 a b c Ball Molly March 3 2015 Do the Koch Brothers Really Care About Criminal Justice Reform The Atlantic a b c Mak Tim January 13 2015 Koch Bros to Bankroll Prison Reform The Daily Beast a b Horwitz Sari August 15 2015 Unlikely Allies Washington Post Gass Henry October 20 2015 Congress s big bipartisan success that might be just beginning Christian Science Monitor Hudetz Mary October 15 2015 Forfeiture reform aligns likes of billionaire Charles Koch ACLU The Topeka Capital Journal Nelson Colleen Mccain Fields Gary July 16 2015 Obama Koch Brothers in Unlikely Alliance to Overhaul Criminal Justice The Wall Street Journal a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Apuzzo Matt Lipton Eric November 24 2015 Rare White House Accord With Koch Brothers on Sentencing Frays The New York Times Retrieved November 26 2015 Koch World Faces Year Two of the Trump Era and the 2018 Midterms National Review January 29 2018 a b Koch brothers to launch pilot project to tackle prisoner reentry USA Today January 24 2018 Berg Rebecca January 27 2018 Koch network says Sessions on board with prison reform CNN Berg Rebecca January 28 2018 The Koch network isn t slowing down CNN Abramson Alana January 28 2018 Paul Ryan Praises Koch Seminar for Tax Reform Passage Fortune Drucker David M January 24 2018 Koch brothers introducing new criminal justice reform initiative The Washington Examiner Svitek Patrick February 1 2018 Koch network targets Texas in push for prison reform in Trump era Texas Tribune AIER Hosts Top Epidemiologists Authors of the Great Barrington Declaration American Institute for Economic Research October 5 2020 Archived from the original on October 9 2020 Retrieved October 10 2020 Lenzer Jeanne October 7 2020 Covid 19 Group of UK and US experts argues for focused protection instead of lockdowns British Medical Journal 371 British Medical Association m3908 doi 10 1136 bmj m3908 PMID 33028622 S2CID 222141502 Retrieved October 18 2020 Ahmed Nafeez October 3 2020 Koch Funded PR Agency Aided Great Barrington Declaration Sponsor BylineTimes Retrieved October 13 2020 Stanley Becker Isaac October 1 2021 Koch backed group fuels opposition to school mask mandates leaked letter shows The Washington Post Retrieved July 4 2022 Independent Women s Forum Template Letter Opposing School Mask Mandates The Washington Post October 1 2021 Retrieved July 4 2021 Mason s Tyler Cowen leads efforts to incentivize coronavirus response George Mason University Retrieved March 30 2022 Affairs Current Medicine March 21 2020 Emergent Ventures prize winners for coronavirus work Marginal REVOLUTION Retrieved March 30 2022 Landler Mark Castle Stephen March 17 2020 Behind the Virus Report That Jarred the U S and the U K to Action The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved March 30 2022 Friedson Andrew I McNichols Drew Sabia Joseph J Dave Dhaval April 2020 Did California s Shelter in Place Order Work Early Coronavirus Related Public Health Effects Working Paper Series doi 10 3386 w26992 S2CID 216034142 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help The Contagion Externality of a Superspreading Event The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and COVID 19 www iza org Retrieved March 30 2022 Perry Samuel L Whitehead Andrew L Grubbs Joshua B 2021 Save the Economy Liberty and Yourself Christian Nationalism and Americans Views on Government COVID 19 Restrictions Sociology of Religion 82 4 426 446 doi 10 1093 socrel sraa047 Retrieved March 30 2022 Perry Samuel L Whitehead Andrew L Grubbs Joshua B April 9 2021 Prejudice and pandemic in the promised land how white Christian nationalism shapes Americans racist and xenophobic views of COVID 19 Ethnic and Racial Studies 44 5 759 772 doi 10 1080 01419870 2020 1839114 ISSN 0141 9870 S2CID 229403180 Lerner Adam April 3 2015 David Koch to sign amicus brief supporting gay marriage Politico RING TRUDY August 23 2019 David Koch Whose Money Harmed LGBTQ People Dead at 79 Advocate Retrieved December 17 2022 a b Schwartz Brian May 6 2022 Business leaders helped to bankroll the anti abortion groups who could soon see Roe v Wade overturned CNBC Retrieved December 17 2022 a b c MARCOTTE AMANDA November 6 2013 Why Are Free Market Organizations Pouring Money Into Anti Abortion Activism The Koch Brothers Slate Retrieved December 23 2022 Banks Jasmine August 13 2021 The Radical Capitalist Behind the Critical Race Theory Furor The Nation ISSN 0027 8378 Retrieved May 25 2022 Conservative Koch network disavows critical race theory bans AP NEWS September 29 2021 Retrieved May 25 2022 Zongker Brett May 3 2012 David Koch Gives Smithsonian 35 Million For New Dinosaur Hall The Huffington Post Retrieved November 8 2015 ELBEIN ASHER July 28 2014 The right s dinosaur fetish Why the Koch brothers are obsessed with paleontology Salon Retrieved March 18 2023 BERNAL RAFAEL March 3 2022 Exclusive Koch groups launch ad campaign to promote immigration reform The Hill Retrieved March 18 2023 Wilson Megan R January 30 2014 Koch brothers fire back at Reid s remark The Hill com News Communications Inc Retrieved January 31 2014 A Word From Our Sponsor The New Yorker May 27 2013 Friedersdorf Conor August 30 2010 The Koch Brothers Profiled The Daily Dish The Atlantic Retrieved January 6 2012 Koch Industries webpage Koch Facts section Accessed 2014 11 27 Holden Mark V September 28 2010 Letter to Lynn B Oberlander PDF Archived from the original PDF on December 16 2010 Retrieved January 31 2011 External links editKoch brothers collected news and commentary at The Guardian nbsp Inside the Koch Brothers Toxic Empire Rolling Stone September 24 2014 Response to Rolling Stone article September 25 2014 Koch Industries Responds to Rolling Stone And We Answer Back Rolling Stone September 29 2014 Is Charles Koch a closet liberal CNNMoney January 20 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Koch network amp oldid 1218062341, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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