Koch Industries has tried to distance itself from the Tea Party, but despite the company’s denials there is considerable evidence linking the two.
In a carefully worded statement, Rich Fink, executive vice president of Koch Industries, said, “We have not provided funding to the tea party organizations which are being organized throughout the country and, until recently, we had never been approached by a tea party group for funding. We have publicly supported Americans for Prosperity Foundation since 1984 and Americans for Prosperity since 2004. We have never considered these institutions to be tea party organizations. Whether or not they are considered to be tea party organizations will not affect our support of them. We believe the tea party movement is a response to the growing frustration of many Americans to government overspending. We share these concerns and encourage citizens to express their opinions in a respectful and civil manner.”
However, information from a variety of sources indicate that there is a strong association between Koch Industries and the Tea Party. One of the most damning pieces of evidence comes from a new Internet documentary, [Astro]Turf Wars. The documentary includes a speech by David Koch, the owner of Koch Industries, delivered at a gathering of Americans for Prosperity, a group which he and his brother Charles founded. During the meeting, organizers proudly recognized a number of tea party activists.
Koch Industries directly contributes to the campaigns of Tea Party Republicans and through organizations like Americans for Prosperity, they also train Tea Party activists. It should come as no surprise that the same people who lie about climate change also lie about their links to the Tea Party.
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