Who Controls the Kochs' Political Network? ASMI, SLAH and TOHE - ProPublica/TPMMuckraker

[WillyT]

Who Controls the Kochs' Political Network? ASMI, SLAH and TOHE
Kim Barker and Theodoric Meyer, ProPublica/TPMMuckraker
March 17, 2014, 2:26 PM EDT


<snip>

Libertarian billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch were among the first to grasp the political potential of social welfare groups and trade associations — nonprofits that can spend money to influence elections but don't have to name their donors.

The Kochs and their allies have built up a complex network of such organizations, which spent more than $383 million in the run-up to the 2012 election alone.

Documents released in recent months show the Kochs have added wrinkles to their network that even experts well versed in tax law and campaign finance say they've never seen before — wrinkles that could make it harder to discern who controls each nonprofit in the web and how it disperses its money.

A review of 2012 tax returns filed by Koch network groups shows that most have been set up as nonprofit trusts rather than not-for-profit corporations, an unusual step that reduces their public reporting requirements.

It sounds complicated and arcane because it is. Some of the nation's top nonprofit experts said they could only speculate on the reasons for the network's increasingly elaborate setup.

"My guess is that we're looking at various forms of disguise — to disguise control, to disguise the flow of funds from one entity to another," said Gregory Colvin, a tax lawyer and campaign-finance specialist in San Francisco who reviewed all the documents for ProPublica...

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Much More: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/koch-political-network-propublica

[Frustratedlady]

1. It would be interesting to learn how much money goes into the pockets of

the Kochs, as well as those heading each group...don't forget Rove and his ilk.

With no tracking, who knows?

[pscot]

2. They don't do it for money

They are true believers; Birchers to the core.

[santamargarita]

3. I don't know, but I hope they get run over by a truck full of money.

[blkmusclmachine]

4. Koch products in your grocery stores:

Brawny paper towels
Angel Soft toilet paper
Dixie paper cups
Vanity Fair paper products
Quilted Northern toilet paper
Sparkle paper towels