Monday, October 3, 2011
Arkansas Politics Democrats link Kochs, Rep. Tim Griffin
Posted by Max Brantley on Mon, Oct 3, 2011 at 3:48 PM
Can't quarrel with this linkage — the Kochs and U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin. They've funneled more than $160,000 into efforts to elect him. He's been in line with all their anti-government, anti-tax, anti-regulatory thinking.
New reporting from Bloomberg Markets Magazine covers bribes paid by Koch companies for foreign business; falsified environmental data; side steps to do prohibited business with Iran, an exporter of terrorism.
The Tea Party and Americans for Prosperity are also Koch supported, along with Tim Griffin. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee lays it all out:
NEWS RELEASE
Representative Tim Griffin (AR-02)’s campaign for Congress has benefited from over $160,000 from controversial Koch Industries which profited from business with Iran despite the country’s known links to financing terrorists, a new Bloomberg investigation found.
Bloomberg reports that “Koch Industries — in addition to being involved in improper payments [bribes] to win business in Africa, India and the Middle East — has sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to Iran, a country the U.S. identifies as a sponsor of global terrorism.”
“Representative Tim Griffin’s career in Congress is propped up by the most radical interests in the country who profit off business with the Iranian regime known for their sponsorship of terrorism and calls of ‘death to America,’” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “These are the same controversial Koch brothers who bankroll right-wing candidates like Representative Tim Griffin and are pushing an extreme ideological agenda that hurts the middle class and seniors while protecting their own tax break for Big Oil. Will Representative Tim Griffin continue to welcome the support from Koch Industries in light of the new investigation showing the companies profited by doing businesses with state sponsors of terrorism or is he finally ready to start rejecting it?”
Run by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, Koch Industries supported Representative Tim Griffin among the “untold millions” they have spent “on right-wing candidates and causes” while they continue to benefit from taxpayer subsidies for their own Big Oil interests and advocate privatizing Social Security.
Background
Griffin Has Received $11,000 From Koch Industries Interests. Representative Griffin has benefited from $11,000 in donations from Koch Industries. [CQ Moneyline, accessed 10/3/11]
Koch Run Americans for Prosperity Spent $156,183 to elect Griffin. Americans for Prosperity, founded by David Koch and run by Koch Industries executive spent $156,183 on Representative Griffin in 2010. [DCCC Media Buy Analysis]
AFP Founded In 2003 By David H. Koch. The New York Times wrote about David H. Koch, noting that “in 2003 he helped establish the nonprofit Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which supports free-market policies and promotes government spending limits. It split off from an earlier Koch-backed enterprise, now called FreedomWorks, which promotes similar goals.” [New York Times, 7/10/08]
Americans for Prosperity Funded, Run by Koch Industries Executives. Americans for Prosperity was founded by David H. Koch, one of the wealthiest men in America and the executive vice president and board member of Koch Industries, which was founded by his father. Recently, Koch gave $5 million to Americans for Prosperity. In 2009, AFP President Tim Phillips said Koch “launched our organization.” The executive Vice President of Koch Industries said, “What we have done is support the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which has been active in various forms for nearly 30 years.” [New York Times, 7/10/08; MSNBC, 3/31/10; Politico, 10/14/08, Washington Examiner, 7/18/10; Washington Independent, 10/5/09]
Koch Brothers Flout Law Getting Richer With Secret Iran Sales. “A Bloomberg Markets investigation has found that Koch Industries — in addition to being involved in improper payments to win business in Africa, India and the Middle East — has sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to Iran, a country the U.S. identifies as a sponsor of global terrorism.” [Bloomberg, 10/2/11]
The Kochs are “America’s richest brothers and notorious underwriters of the right-wing” and have “spent untold millions on right-wing candidates and causes.” [Forbes, 1/18/11]
David Koch Pledged to Abolish Social Security. “In 1980, David Koch ran for vice president on the Libertarian ticket, pledging to abolish Social Security, the Federal Reserve System, welfare, minimum wage laws and federal agencies — including the Department of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency.” [Bloomberg, 10/2/11]
Koch Financed Groups Advocate for the Privatization of Social Security. “Charles and David Koch are not newcomers to the right-wing ideological movement. […] For decades, the vast Koch wealth financed and built the rightwing movement in America. […] Koch-financed groups such as the Cato Institute, Heritage, and Americans for Prosperity advocate for the partial privatization of Social Security.” [Center for American Progress, 4/11]
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Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
None of this is a surprise, is it? We knew local volunteers were not posting those Griffin signs all over Little Rock. And his campaign slogan--we against them--was chilling. Because of that slogan, I know writing or phoning his office to protest or request a vote in my favor is a waste of time and postage.
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Wow...it only cost $156K for a US Rep?
Merely chump change for the likes of the Koch heads. At that price they can easily afford 210 of the little darlings.
Good ole Timmy: All Republican and not a patriotic bone in his body nor thought in his beady little brain. A patriot would vote for the middle class. A patriot would vote country over party. He is incapable of such a vote; therefore, he is not a patriot.
A patriot would tell the "job creators" that creating jobs in China or India is not job creation we care about. Ask for his position on the President's "jobs bill," but don't hold your breath. He still hasn't come up with his doubletalk constituent letter. Always a joy to read because each one confirms the dunce in the House.
Anyone who believes Tim Griffin will ever vote to help protect the middle class or the "little guy" needs to have their head examined, because they aren't living in reality. Instead of being in the US Congress, Tim should be in a federal pen doing time for engaging in illegal voter caging in Florida. It is unfortunate such a crooked, dirty politician is representing Arkansas' 2nd Congressional District. I'm still predicting he'll get indicted for something some day. He doesn't have enough good sense or backbone to stay out of trouble!
What a joke of a post. If anyone had bothered to actually read the Bloomberg piece (I did), you would find out that the Koch brothers had actually found these problems themselves and addressed them. What's interesting is that the Bloomberg piece could have been written in such a way by substituting the Kochs with GE, and you'd get the same story (GE has done all the same things). But since GE contributes campaign money to Democrats, especially Obama, and because GE's Immelt is in bed with Obama, Bloomberg and the rest of the Democrat media doesn't write about the company's lack of ethics. Neither does the DCCC or DSCC.
SteveAR, which Democratic Congressional campaign(s) received over $150,000 from GE? Also, conservative ideology generally refuses to accept ignorance as a defense, unless of course it is one of their own at fault. The Koch brothers "found these problems" in their own company, so therefore they are absolved? The Koolaid tastes good, I guess?
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