charles-koch

The Smear Campaign Against Jane Mayer Takes an Interesting New Turn

J.K. Trotter · 01/27/16 03:28PM

Jane Mayer, a staff writer at The New Yorker, has a new book out this month about the political power of America’s wealthiest citizens, including the billionaire libertarian activists Charles and David Koch. Among Dark Money’s myriad revelations—we haven’t finished it yet!—is that one or both of the Koch brothers apparently paid a P.I. firm run by Howard Safir, the police commissioner under New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, to dig up dirt on Mayer to retaliate against her watershed New Yorker profile of the brothers from 2010:

How Sincere Is the Koch Brothers’ Commitment to Criminal Justice Reform?

Andy Cush · 01/20/16 03:55PM

Among the causes to which billionaire and conservative puppetmaster Charles Koch donates his vast wealth, his long support of criminal justice reform sticks out. While many of Koch’s pet issues cater strictly to the interests of his own moneyed class, the idea of curtailing the power of police and criminal courts is a palatable one—even appealing—to the sorts of people his cash-fueled political machine might otherwise have a hard time reaching: liberals, people of color, the poor.

How to Land an Interview With Charles Koch

Hamilton Nolan · 02/27/14 05:00PM

Evil cartoon villain Charles Koch, one half of the Amazing Billionaire Koch Bros., does not give a lot of interviews. You can hardly find a photo of the guy. But one outlet has landed a coveted Charles Koch interview "get"—the Wichita Business Journal. How did they do what so many other news outlets could not?

The Kochs Are Coming For Obamacare Voters

Jordan Sargent · 01/02/14 08:57PM

In 2012, rich conservatives spent billions of dollars in order to defeat Barack Obama, and if that didn't work at least a bunch of Democratic congressional candidates. It was a stunning waste of money: Mitt Romney conceded before midnight and Republicans lost eight seats in the House and two in the Senate. But they aren't stopping anytime soon.

Koch Bros' Group Being Completely Evil Ahead of Wisconsin Recall

Jim Newell · 08/01/11 04:22PM

Americans for Prosperity, the political action group funded by right-wing billionaires Charles and David Koch, is patriotically mailing out absentee ballot applications for the upcoming Wisconsin recall elections against Republican state senators. But guess what? The registration forms that AFP has been sending out have... the wrong ballot submission date! Good heavens, how could they miss such a "typo"?

Koch Brothers to Democrats: Stop Asking us For Money

Jim Newell · 07/08/11 01:42PM

Koch Industries, the wealthy industrial corporation run by right-wing activist billionaires David and Charles Koch, recently got a standard-issue voicemail solicitation from Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Sen. Patty Murray, asking for money. A simple "no, sorry" wouldn't suffice. The company's PR chief had to publish an arch letter condemning Murray for hypocrisy, along with a recording of her voicemail.