Koch Network Seeks To Defuse Donor Frustration Over Trump Rebuff
By Matea Gold August 1 at 12:26 AM
COLORADO SPRINGS — Thirteen years after billionaire industrialist Charles Koch gathered a small group of his fellow libertarian donors in a Chicago hotel to discuss how to promote their economic theories, the network he launched is one of the country’s most potent political forces, with 1,600 staffers spread across 38 states.
But Koch’s refusal to harness his singular operation in support of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has put him at odds with some of his wealthiest peers — and forced the network to defend its relevance at a time of its greatest reach.
That tension rippled behind the scenes this weekend as about 400 donors met here at a luxury resort encircling a man-made lake, where white swans paddled in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. Between panels extolling free speech and conservative state policy victories, Koch and his top deputies heard out donors worried about the network’s decision to sit on the sidelines.
“I told him that it was very important that Hillary Clinton not get elected,” said Minnesota media mogul Stanley Hubbard, who said his biggest concern is how she would reshape the Supreme Court.
Koch’s decision not to embrace Trump threatens to alienate some heavyweight network backers who have rallied to the GOP nominee’s side in recent months — mega-donors such as Wisconsin roofing billionaire Diane Hendricks, Oklahoma oil man Harold Hamm and New York hedge-fund magnate Robert Mercer, none of whom attended this weekend’s conclave.
more...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/koch-network-seeks-to-defuse-donor-frustration-over-trump-rebuff/2016/08/01/7247b8c2-579a-11e6-831d-0324760ca856_story.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
