Freedom Partners

see also FP2 oops?

ref 2 martens

https://kochdocs.org/2019/06/06/freedom-partners-roadmap-repeal/

2017 Koch Freedom Partners: A “Roadmap” for the Trump Administration to Repeal Environmental Rules

This 2017 document titled “A Roadmap to Repeal: Removing Regulatory Barriers to Opportunity” was created by Freedom Partners,a donor group Politico has called the “secret bank” of the Koch Brothers.

This memo from Charles Koch’s network to its funders details changes in the law sought by what was then called the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, which was controlled by Koch and his operatives.

That group is now operating under the name “Stand Together.” Whatever the name, the concept is the same: this is the political agenda of the Koch empire in coordination with the CEOs and corporations that help fund Charles Koch’s agenda through a non-profit trade group–organized under 501(c)(5) of the IRS Code–which has operated under different brand names.

This kind of memo is one of the organizing tools deployed by Koch to get his billionaire and millionaire funder allies, who are part of what is also sometimes called the “Koch Network,” on the same page about the agenda for the year ahead. Koch’s political hq circulates these kinds of memos to attendees of the semi-annual retreats Charles Koch has been hosting for years to advance his personal and corporate agenda.

This particular memo is focused on Koch’s agenda to have the Trump Administration changes the laws to suit his goals. This “Roadmap” includes a list of “what can be repealed in the first 100 days” of the Trump administration such as:

“Executive order putting a moratorium on new federal coal leases;”
“Paris climate agreement requiring greenhouse gas emission reductions;”
“Proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs incidental to the Clean Power Plan;”
“Final Stream Protection Rule regarding coal mine permitting;”
“Bureau of Land Management (BLM) federal lands Methane Rule;”
“Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): 2017 and 2018 obligations;”
“EPA Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards: Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles.”

It also lists “longer-term opportunities” such as the:

EPA Rule defining The Waters of the United States;
Reversing the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.
[doc]

https://kochdocs.org/2019/06/06/freedom-partners-roadmap-repeal/

A ROADMAP TO REPEAL:

REMOVING REGULATORY

BARRIERS TO OPPORTUNITY

President Obama has imposed an unprecedented onslaught of regulatory costs on the U.S. economy. Since 2009, federal

agencies have issued more than 600 major regulations with a total cost exceeding $700 billion. These regulations have erected

barriers to opportunity for millions of American families, resulting in the weakest workforce in nearly 40 years.

Freedom Partners strongly supports efforts by President-elect Trump and the new Congress to repeal as many of President

Obama’s executive actions and regulations as possible. Removing these barriers to opportunity is among the surest ways to

jumpstart the U.S. economy and create more opportunity for all.

Unfortunately, repealing federal regulations is not as simple as it sounds. A successful strategy must be considered in three steps

and will require action from the administration, Congress, and the courts. Additionally, Freedom Partners urges Congress

to put lawmakers on record on as many of these regulations as possible so that voters can see where they stand and hold them

accountable in 2018.

STEP 1. WHAT CAN BE REPEALED IN THE FIRST 100 DAYS

Executive actions, proposed regulations, and recently finalized regulations.

Executive Actions and Proposed Regulations: President-elect Trump can unilaterally rescind any executive

action signed by President Obama or proposed regulations that have yet to be finalized, including, but not limited to:

Executive order establishing a task force on commercial advocacy [?]

Executive order putting a moratorium on new federal coal leases

Presidential memorandum requiring new federal overtime rule promulgation

Paris Climate Agreement requiring greenhouse gas emissions reductions

Proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs incidental to the Clean Power Plan

Proposed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) payday and vehicle title loan rules

Proposed CFPB arbitration rules

Regulations Finalized On or After June 13, 2016: Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Congress can

avoid a Senate filibuster to repeal all regulations finalized during the last 60 legislative days, with June 13, 2016, being the

cutoff date. Congress should prioritize the following:

Final Stream Protection Rule regarding coal mine permitting

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) federal lands Methane Rule

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): 2017 and 2018 obligations

EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards: Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles

STEP 2. LONGER-TERM OPPORTUNITIES

All other regulations passed before June 13, 2016 can be repealed in at least one of three ways.

Executive Rulemaking, Legislation to Rescind or Defund, and Judicial Challenges. These are time-consuming

processes that should begin immediately. President-elect Trump and Congress should prioritize the following:

EPA Rule defining The Waters of the United States

EPA Clean Power Plan

HHS Electronic Health Record Incentive Program

HHS Establishment of Exchanges and Qualified Health

DOL Overtime Rule

DOL Fiduciary Rule

FCC “Net Neutrality” Rule

USDA Calorie Labeling for Vending Machines

STEP 3. POLITICAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Freedom Partners will hold lawmakers who oppose regulatory relief accountable for their positions.

Floor Time: Congressional leaders should devote sufficient floor time to voting on finalized regulations and putting

lawmakers on record on President Obama’s most harmful regulations.

Voter Education: Network organizations will educate voters about their elected representatives’ positions on regulations

that impose barriers to opportunity for hardworking families.

This document was created by Freedom Partners, an organization which Politico called the “secret bank” of the Koch Brothers. https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/behind-the-curtain-exclusive-the-koch-brothers-secret-bank-096669#ixzz2hj4y5I8o

Original Document (PDF) »

Contributed by Casey (Climate Investigations Center)

Plain Text

Months after the 2012 election, Freedom Partners hired a new president, Marc T. Short,a longtime political operative and former Koch employee who tended Ronald Reagan’s ranch in California in his 20s. He is 43, the same age as Noble – and some say the most likely heir to Noble’s role.

The Kochs convened their first 2014 retreat for big donors at a resort near Palm Springs, Calif., in late January. On the agenda: Centralizing control and creating a more coordinated approach to winning elections, as opposed to the piecemeal one from past years, according to Politico. The Kochs plan to back candidates in primaries, to make sure that Republicans that agree with their philosophy make it to the general election.

Noble was not among the consultants listed on a one-page agenda for the meetingobtained by Mother Jones. Short and others from Freedom Partners were.

Noble’s biggest known client in recent months has been Arizona’s largest electric utility, Arizona Public Service, which DC London worked for in a contentious fight over solar energy. In a strange twist, the face of the pro-solar side was Barry Goldwater Jr., the son of Noble’s idol.

http://truth-out.org/news/item/19544-a

President Obama signed a debt deal at 12:30 a.m. averting a catastrophic debt default in the nick of time.

In a city of manufactured crisis it is sometimes hard to distinguish real issues from fake ones, but the debt ceiling deadline is a serious issue. Since Congress failed to pass a budget, the Treasury Department ran out of authority to borrow months ago. October 17, 2013 was the day that the Treasury Department said it would be unable to juggle the accounts to pay the nation's obligations.

The consequences of a default to the economy would be catastrophic, stocks and pension funds would crash as interest rates would jump. Just the two-week government shutdown and the threat of default took a $24 billion dollar bite out of the economy, says the S&P.

"There are certain weapons that are just improper to use against humanity," Warren Buffet told CNBC on October 16 as the stalemate continued in Congress. "It is a political weapon of mass destruction and both sides should say we’re not going to touch it, just like with poison gas or nuclear weapons. It’s too powerful."

Extremist Tea Party reactionaries in the Congress led our nation to the very brink, passing a deal hours before midnight on October 16.

As the very real threat of a catastrophic debt default loomed this week, the Koch Brothers were running for cover. Koch Industries sent a letter to Congress saying the corporation controlled by two of the richest billionaires in the world was not responsible for the shutdown.

David Koch's Americans for Prosperity group helpfully clarified that it did not support the strategy to defund the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it just wanted to repeal it.

It’s time for a fact check. The Koch family foundations and the newest known Koch vehicle -- Freedom Partners, which is staffed with by operatives connected to the Kochs and housed in the same building as Charles Koch’s foundation -- have bankrolled practically every group working to create a fake grassroots uprising against the ACA. Many of the groups linked to the Kochs have also pushed an extreme “shut-it-down” position that led the U.S. to the brink of a historic government debt default.

Here is a field guide to some of the Koch O’ Nuts and what is known about their funding.

Americans for Prosperity’s Goal Is the Repeal of “Obamacare”

Freedom Partners funding in 2012: $31,600,000. Plus an additional $4,278,000 from Center to Protect Patient Rights in 2011. The total amount of funding from David Koch himself directly to AFP versus filtered through Freedom Partners is not disclosed.

AFP was founded by David Koch in 2004, when Koch’s “Citizens for a Sound Economy” split into FreedomWorks and AFP. Known funders in the past include Koch family foundations, the Scaife Foundation and the Bradley Foundation. Today it is one of the largest beneficiaries of a previously unknown stream of money from Freedom Partners

According to AFP: “Americans for Prosperity has led the charge against Obamacare implementation throughout the summer, with events around the country and millions spent in television and radio ads.” The New York Times reports that AFP has run $5.5 million in television advertising against the law over the past three months.

According to USA Today (September 19, 2013): “Between July 1 and Sept. 16, Americans for Prosperity led all advertising [on the subject of ACA, either for or opposed], running more than 3,200 spots to slam the law, according to a tally of advertising by Kantar Media.”

These ads include:

Ad titled "Questions," July 2013: The Hill reports, “Americans for Prosperity is launching a $1 million ad campaign opposing Obamacare.” The ad is the first in a 2013 summer/fall series of TV, radio and web ads opposing the ACA.
Ads titled " and ," September 2013: AFP announced a “seven-figure ad buy” in Texas markets.
Ad titled "Tricia's Story," September 2013: The Hill reports: "Americans for Prosperity launches $3M anti-Obamacare ad featuring cancer survivor."

According toAFP, its state groups held a total of 150 "healthcare related events" in the months of August and September, including town hall style events featuring members of Congress like Pennsylvanian Congressman Pat Meehan. Campaign websites include ObamacareRiskFactors.com and JustExemptMe.com.

Controversial Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who spearheaded the effort to shutdown the government over the ACA, was featured at AFP’s national “Right Online” conference last month, where he advocated the repeal of the ACA through defunding it and tying that defunding to the budget fights.

Video of Ted Cruz’s speech at the David Koch headlined conference is available here.

The Executive Director of AFP, Tim Phillips, praised Jim DeMint for his efforts at the Heritage Foundation to "do what’s right" (Heritage Action, as noted below, was a primary advocate of the shutdown). He also praised Cruz, his featured speaker, for sticking to the agenda of "we're going to do what’s right from day one," like DeMint, plainly referencing their fight against the ACA.

Heritage Action for America Helps Ted Cruz Get His Stump Speech Ready

Freedom Partners funding in 2012: $500,000. Total amount of direct funding from the Koch family fortune is not known.

The Heritage Foundation has received an undisclosed sum from the Koch family fortune over the years, but it has close ties to the Koch agenda and David Koch's AFP strongly endorsed the Heritage Foundation’s agenda as Congress returned from summer recess.

Heritage Action for America gives Heritage Foundation’s new Executive Director, former U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), a big platform for a reactionary political agenda.

Heritage Action has pushed the extremes in its effort to defund Obamacare at any cost with weekly Action Alerts demanding that their supporters call Congress and reject any deal that did not defund Obamacare. On the night before the government default deadline the group continued to urge no deal the "proposed deal will do nothing to stop Obamacare’s massive new entitlements from taking root -- radically changing the nature of American health care" and told Congressional leaders their votes would be scored.

"Heritage Action was also responsible for running internet ads against 100 Republican politicians who failed to sign a letter to House Speaker John Boehner encouraging him to defund Obamacare at any cost,” reports the Business Spectator.

For Heritage Action the war has been many months in the planning. It launched a "Defund Obamacare Town Hall Tour," nine events held from August 19-29 featuring DeMint and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. Jim DeMint: "We have an opportunity to change the direction of our nation by defunding Obamacare and advancing conservative policy solutions that will help place us back on the path toward fiscal responsibility."

Tea Party Patriots Push for the Extremes

Freedom Partners funding in 2012: $200,000. Total amount of direct funding from the Koch family fortune is not known.

David Koch’s AFP has funded numerous events advancing the Tea Party agenda. The Tea Party Patriots are one faction of the Tea Party. Tea Party Patriots have been among the most extreme "shut it down" factions of the far right. The group produced a "Defunding Obamacare Toolkit for Activists" with talking points, sample social media posts, and more. "We've pushed very, very, very hard, and we’re doing that because we understand that this law [Obamacare] is having very real effects on millions of Americans right now," National Coordinator Jenny Beth Martin told Politico. The Tea Party Patriots joined FreedomWorks’ paid political consultant Glenn Beck at a Saturday rally on Capitol Hill with Sarah Palin and others.

On the brink of default on October 16, the Tea Party Patriots were urging no deal. "The Ruling Elites in Washington, D.C. have completely abandoned the American people," said Martin. "The deal cut in the Senate does NOT protect the American people from this unfair and unworkable law."

Center to Protect Patient Rights Acts as a Conduit

Freedom Partners: $114,678,000. Total funding from the Koch family fortune is unknown.

The New York Timesdescribes the Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR): "Run by a political consultant with ties to the Kochs and listing an Arizona post office box for its address, the center appears to be little more than a clearinghouse for donations to still more groups, including American Commitment and the 60 Plus Association, both ardent foes of the health care law."

CPPR is at the center of a probe by the California Elections Board on "dark money" spent through shell groups to influence two ballot initiatives, among other concerns that have been raised about it.

The 60 Plus Association, a Big Money Front Group Focused on Seniors

Freedom Partners funding in 2012: $114,678,000. Plus an additional $14,029,000 from the Center to Protect Patient Rights in 2011. Total amount of funding from the Koch family fortune is unknown.

The 60 Plus Association has long campaigned against Obamacare. The New York Times reports that it was "among a handful of groups calling themselves the 'Repeal Coalition' that sent a letter in August urging Republican leaders in the House and the Senate to insist 'at a minimum' in a one-year delay of carrying out the health care law as part of any budget deal."

On September 23, the organization called for a budget with no Obamacare, "Pull the Plug" said their release and on September 25, as Ted Cruz began his "filibuster" the 60 Plus Association issued a statement in support to Cruz and his efforts on the Senate floor to stem the funding and implementation of Obamacare.

American Commitment Pushes Tea Party Candidates

Freedom Partners Funding: $6,260,000. Total amount of funding from the Koch family fortune is unknown.

American Commitment is run by another Koch operative Phil Kerpen. Kerpen was the "legislative strategist" at Americans for Prosperity for over five years. The group has opposed the requirement in the ACA that requires all Americans to purchase health care and has supported legislation to require members of Congress to subscribe to the plan.

On its website it has ads in support of Steve Lonegan who was defeated by Cory Booker last night for the New Jersey U.S. Senate seat. Lonegan was the State Director of the New Jersey chapter of Americans for Prosperity and ran for governor of New Jersey in 2005 and 2009. Lonegan was passionately opposed to Obamacare and on October 10 boasted that his election would end the shutdown: "When I win, Obama will fold." "My victory in this election on Wednesday will send a message to Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi that the American people want an end to Obamacare and the rest of the President’s radical agenda," said Lonegan.

Generation Opportunity, Another Dark Money Group Marketing to Youth

Freedom Partners funding in 2012: $5,040,000. Total amount of funding from the Koch family fortune is unknown.

One of the most well-known and most misleading anti-Obamacare ads comes from a new group called Generation Opportunity. The and calls for people to "opt out of Obamacare."

Generation Opportunity purports to be "the voice of young people in Washington and in local communities and we will act to protect our future." But its glitzy ad campaigns and its Freedom Partner funding reveals that it is another astroturf front group for powerful special interests.

Prior to joining Generation Opportunity as President, Evan Feinberg was Program Manager at the Charles Koch Institute, where he “Managed the institute’s efforts related to government spending."

Generation Opportunity intends to host events at college football tailgate parties, music concerts and other events in the fall of 2013, urging young people to opt-out of Obamacare, which of course would net them a penalty.

Concerned Women for American Legislative Action Committee

Freedom Partners funding in 2012: $8,150,000. Total amount of funding from the Koch family fortune is unknown.

CWALAC got a surge in funding, a 300 percent increase (from 2M to 8M) for the 2012 election cycle, almost all from Freedom Partners, which no one knew about at the time, and then it they turned around and announced a $7 million ad campaign on "issue ads" critical of Obama in the summer leading up to the election.

The related Concerned Women for America is an overtly religious group that has opposed Obamacare, claiming its opposition is on the grounds of "religious liberty." The president of the group alleges that the exchanges will charge enrollees an “abortion surcharge,” a minimum of $1 per month, which pays into an "abortion slush fund" obscured by a “secrecy clause.”

According to the Washington Post, CWALAC spent at least $3 million on 3,141 ads during the 2012 Presidential campaign, spending $1 million on ads in Wisconsin and more than $700K in both Iowa and Minnesota.

According to CWALAC, the group spent $6 million on an anti-ACA ad titled "Care" that aired in six states -- Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Virginia and Wisconsin -- in June 2012.

American Legislative Exchange Council Spearheads Opposition in the States

Koch Industry funding: More than $1 million.

Over the years, Koch Industries has given ALEC at least $1 million in addition to the substantial funding ALEC has received from the Koch family fortune, for example from the foundations it controls. The total amount of funding the Koch fortune has contributed to ALEC is unknown.

For the past two decades Koch Industries has been a leader of ALEC with a seat on its corporate board, and with Koch Industries playing an influential role bankrolling ALEC, the group has spearheaded efforts to push state legislators to "repeal Obamacare," echoing the same message as David Koch's AFP. ALEC has also urged state legislators to pass resolutions urging Congress to repeal the ACA, in addition to peddling numerous bills to defund or stop implementation of the ACA over the past three years, as detailed in its legislative handbook: "A Legislators Guide to Repealing Obamacare."

Through these and other efforts, ALEC has sought to stop the ACA at the state and federal levels, while indoctrinating its legislative members with talking points that have been echoed by opponents of the law in state capitols and also in Congress during the debates over the budget this year. Congress has numerous ALEC alums among its ranks, including House Majority whip, Eric Cantor (R-VA), who was recently given one of ALEC’s highest awards for advancing ALEC’s agenda in Congress.

Today, the Koch-funded "Freedom Partners," which secretly distributed $250 million during the 2012 election season, posted its first federal tax report which uncloaked several Koch-related entities that were previously unknown. Last week, Politico broke the newsof the existence of this group. Today, new details of the group's spending are available for the first time.

The new-ish organization, formally known as "Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce," lists five entities which it owned 100% of:

The "American Entrepreneur Fund LLC," which had assets of $885,316 and whose activities are listed as simply as "projects"
The "American Enterprise Group LLC," which had assets of $424,975 and whose activities are listed as "management"
The "American Strategies Group LLC," which had assets of $97,714 and whose activities are listed as "public outreach"
The "MIC LLC," with assets of $25,000 and whose job was "research"
And, "American Strategic Innovations LLC," with assets of $4,976, whose job was also listed as "research"

All of these entities, whose assets totaled more than $1.4 million as of October 2012, share the same street address: 2200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 102-391, Arlington, Virginia 22201. All of these corporations are registered in Delaware. The activities of these groups is not known and their current assets are also unknown. (These corporations are listed on the form as "disregarded" in IRS lingo not because they no longer exist but because of a technical tax definition for certain companies that are similar to sole proprietorships or controlled by just a few people.)

The Koch-Fueled CPPR Got More than $100 Million Last Year

The Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce's tax filing also lists the names and amounts of all of the entities it funded between late 2011 and the eve of the 2012 elections. Here is the list of the top five groups to which the Kochs' Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce funneled millions:

"Corner Table LLC," known as the "Center to Protect Patient Rights" (CPPR): three infusions of cash totalling $114,678,000. CPPR is at the center of a probe by the California Elections Board on "dark money" spent through shell groups to influence two ballot initiatives, among other concerns that have been raised about it.
"PR Dist LLC," described as "Americans for Prosperity," which is directed by David Koch: two infusions totaling $31,600,000
"The 60 Plus Association Inc.," $15,660,000
"American Future Fund," $13,600,000
"Concerned Women for American Legislative Action Committee," $8,150,000

Kochs Have Claimed No Role on Gun Policy; the NRA Got Millions

In the past 18 months as controversy has grown over the role of the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in pushing so-called "Stand Your Ground" legislation, Koch Industries has repeatedly issued denouncements that it has any role in gun policies. The Center for Media and Democracy, however, has documented how extreme gun policies of the National Rifle Association (NRA) have flourished while Koch Industries has had a seat on and led ALEC's Private Enterprise Board (which was recently rebranded as the Private Enterprise Advisory Council).

While it is not known if Koch Industries has donated any funds to the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, what is known -- as CMD has documented -- is that this organization is filled with Koch operatives, was launched in the same building as the Charles Koch Foundation, and has very close ties to David and Charles Koch, who are two of the richest men in the world.

Now, with this tax filing it is clear that this Koch-related operation is directly funding the NRA. The NRA received more than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, receiving $3,465,000. The NRA describes itself as a membership organization, where people can pay $35 to be a member and get a subscription to one of the NRA magazines. However, the NRA has not disclosed how much of its funding comes from gun manufacturers or non-profit groups such as the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.

The Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce also gave millions to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the National Association of Manufacturers.

More Mysteries of the Koch Network Exposed

In addition to these, the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce spent another $50 million on other groups, cumulatively, some of which are well known and some of which have flown below the public's radar:

"American Commitment," $6,260,000
"Partnership for Ohio's Future," $500,000
"West Michigan Policy Forum," $1,000,000
"American Energy Alliance," $1,460,000 (has previously been connected to the Kochs)
"American Values Action," $230,000 (spent $14 million on "independent expenditures" including phone calls against Obama during the 2012 election; donors unknown/not registered as a PAC)
"Common Sense Issues, Inc.," $50,000
"Heritage Action for America, Inc.," $500,000 (connected to the Heritage Foundation, which has deep Koch connections)
"ORRA LLC (EVANGCH4 Trust)," $5,055,000
"POFN LLC (Public Notice)," $5,466,250
"Republican Jewish Coalition," $700,000
"RION LLC (Center for Shared Service Trust)," $2,738,000 (closely connected to the Charles Koch Foundation)
"SLAH LLC (Public Engagement Trust)," $1,500,000 (Arlington)
"State Tea Party Express," $600,000 (operates out of Willows, California)
"STN LLC (Themis Trust)," $5,781,000
"TONA LLC (Libre Initiative Trust)," $3,112,000
"Tea Party Patriots," $200,000 (operating out of Woodstock, Georgia)
"TRGN LLC (Generation Opportunity)," $5,040,000 (a group aimed at Gen X that tries to pin the economic crash that began under President George W. Bush on Democrats)
"The National Right to Work Committee," $1,000,000 (which pushes anti-worker, union-busting measures)

Some of these groups have been directly connected to the Koch fortune by prior research, such as the Heritage Foundation's arms (which are long-time recipients of Koch money), the Center for Shared Service (which helps recruit right-wingers for jobs in the Koch network and which shares an office building with theCharles Koch Foundation) Themis and Libre (which advance Koch corporate agenda of Ayn Rand-style economic policies), and the Tea Party groups (which the Kochs initially claimed to the New Yorker's Jane Mayer that they had little to do with, despite evidence to the contrary).

Other groups were not yet tied to Koch money, like Generation Opportunity (which is aimed at college graduates struggling to find work in this economy and which attempts to blame progressive policies for the economic crisis that was actually spurred by Koch-style deregulation peddled by David Koch's Citizens for a Sounds Economy, which pressed for the repeal of Glass-Steagall protections, the predecessor group of Koch's Americans for Prosperity).

Others, such as the array of LLCs in the list in addition to the gigantic sum given to CPPR, raise additional questions about the Koch agenda and how it was spent during the last election cycle when hundreds of millions in dark money was poured into so-called issue ads and other "public education" activities that coincided with election themes.

The Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce describes itself as devoted to advancing its members "common business interests." It is a trade group organized under section 501(c)(6) of the tax group, with corporate members (which may be able to write-off part of their investment as a business expense). The question a growing number of people are asking is how the pursuit of these common business interests is actually undermining the prosperity of ordinary Americans, while advancing the interests of some of the richest few in the country.

(This article has been updated, including new links.)

http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/09/12247/breaking-new-list-dark-money-shell-game-groups-connected-kochs

Much of the funding for some of the largest conservative dark money groups in 2012 came from a previously little-known group that was started by and is to some degree bankrolled by the billionaire Koch brothers, according to a story on Politico's website today.

Freedom Partners, a 501(c)(6) business partnership, made grants totaling $236 million since it was founded in November, 2011.

Almost half of that -- $115 million -- went to the Center to Protect Patient Rights, a group that has no activities of its own other than giving grants to other politically active tax-exempt organizations. That's more than CPPR's budget in all years combined since it was established in 2009. It's run by Sean Noble, a political consultant and Koch operative.

CPPR has given grants to some of the same groups that, according to Politico, Freedom Partners gave funds to last year, such as the conservative seniors' group 60 Plus Association, which also has Koch connections. CPPR gave 60 Plus $14 million over three years.

Freedom Partners sent $15.7 million to 60 Plus in 2012 alone.

And 60 Plus -- which has also received donations from the American Petroleum Institute, the Karl Rove-affiliated Crossroads GPS, and another Koch-connected group that does nothing but give out grants, TC4 Trust -- reported spending more than $4.6 million in the 2012 federal elections, much of it to support GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

CPPR has not yet filed its tax forms covering 2012 with the IRS, so it's not yet known what groups it provided funds to last year -- or how much of its total revenue was covered by the $115 million from Freedom Partners.

Until now, CPPR and TC4 Trust -- which were both uncovered last year by OpenSecrets Blog-- were believed to be the main "shadow money mailboxes" (having no activities of their own other than giving grants) on the right. As of last year, Freedom Partners, the only significant group in the network that is not a 501(c)(4), has taken the lead.

But the fact that it's heavily funding CPPR means that the latter group continues playing a major role in the network -- with an additional curtain of secrecy hiding its donors.

Freedom Partners was started as the Association for American Innovation in December 2011. Its president, Marc Short, has overseen the Koch brothers' political efforts for some time. The Kochs, who run an industrial conglomerate based in Wichita, have been deeply involved in Republican politics for years and sponsor an annual strategy session for groups and donors on the right.

Short told Politico that Freedom Partners has about 200 donors each paying at least $100,000 each. One donor gave $25 million.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission has been trying to pierce the veil hiding donors to several tax-exempt nonprofits that contributed money to one another -- one of which was CPPR -- before ultimately giving it to a group working on ballot measures in the state last year. And attorneys general in other states, such as New York, also have been attempting to force such groups to identify their donors.

The use of a 501(c)(6) like Freedom Partners could help keep dark money stay dark. Business associations may not fall within the charitable trust jurisdiction of state attorneys general, so the arrangement could help stymie states' efforts to shed some light on who is behind the organizations. Neither (c)(4) groups nor (c)(6)s are supposed to be primarily political, but both types have asserted that providing grants to other organizations -- even if those groups spend some of their resources on political ads -- is not political activity.

Other groups that received major funding from Freedom Partners in 2012, Politico reported, include the American Future Fund, which received $13.6 million. AFF reported to the Federal Election Committee that it spent $25.4 million on ads benefiting conservative candidates in that election cycle.

Americans for Prosperity, a group that was started by the Koch brothers, got $32.3 million; it spent $36.4 million in outside spending during the 2012 elections, according to FEC reports it filed.

Themis Trust, a voter database spearheaded by the Kochs that was initially funded through TC4 Trust, received $5.8 million.

Follow Viveca on Twitter: @VJN

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Politico.com, the Washington insider website, has the money-in-politics scoop of the year: It has unmasked a previously unknown political money laundering operation, set up by the energy billionaires and libertarian Koch brothers, that raised $256 million and secretly spent almost all of it last year against Democrats.

The “Koch brothers’ secret bank,” which is what the website calls the Virginia-based group, whose formal name is Freedom Partners, is the glue that has been holding together the right-wing pantheon of pro-corporate, anti-regulatory, anti-Obama, anti-labor front groups that are against everything from healthcare reform to labor unions to financial market reform to progressive taxation.

“The group has about 200 donors, each paying at least $100,000 in annual dues,” Politico reported, saying Freedom Partners would soon be filing papers with the IRS disclosing its existence. “It raised $256 million in the year after its creation in November 2011, the [IRS] document shows. And it made grants of $236 million—meaning a totally unknown group was the largest sugar daddy for conservative groups in the last election, second in total spending only to Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, which together spent about $300 million.”

The fact that secretive right-wingers could amass and spend a quarter-billion dollars in a presidential election cycle and go undetected under federal campaign finance law is an astounding indictment of the American electoral system, revealing that all the laws intending to inform the public about who is slinging political mud are meaningless. The mockery goes even further when considering the section of the federal tax code the group is operating under: 501(c)6. That designation is for trade associations, which lets the group conceal its donors.

Trade asociations, like trade unions, were created to represent single industries or crafts. Freedom Partners’ "trade" is the business of political assassination. What follows is Politico’s list of the groups, causes and amounts received from the Kochs’ cartel. The group’s members are drawn from the energy barons’ semiannual political conferences, which feature speeches by Congress’ Republican leadership.

“The filing offers a rare tour of the conservative movement and how it gets its funds,” Politico said:

• Center to Protect Patient Rights, a group that vehemently opposes Obamacare: a total of $115 million, from three grants.

• Americans for Prosperity, an organizing and advocacy group that is courted by Republican presidential candidates: $32.3 million.

• The 60 Plus Association, a free-market seniors group that also opposes Obamacare: $15.7 million.

• American Future Fund, an Iowa group that spent a lot of money on ads in 2012, many for Mitt Romney: $13.6 million.

• Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, which gets involved in a number of social policy debates: $8.2 million.

• Themis Trust, a Koch-based voter database that is made available to other conservative organizations: $5.8 million.

• Public Notice, a fiscal policy think tank: $5.5 million.

• Generation Opportunity, a group for “liberty-loving” young people: $5 million.

• The LIBRE Initiative, which targets a free-market message to Hispanic immigrants: $3.1 million.

• The National Rifle Association: $3.5 million.

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: $2 million.

• American Energy Alliance: $1.5 million.

• And several groups — including the State Tea Party Express, Tea Party Patriots and Heritage Action for America — got less than $1 million each.

Marc Short, the group’s president (who was previously chief of staff for former Texas Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and also for then-Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana), told Politico the group was primarily a bunch of wealthy self-made businesspeople who were not seeking publicity but felt their propersity was under attack in America.

“Short said his members are ‘concerned that the nation that they had grown up in and that their businesses have flourished in will not be there for their children and grandchildren’ and are ‘committed to trying to restore what they view are free markets in a free society in America,’” Politico reported. “Many, he said, are ‘Horatio Alger-type stories,’ and most of them not household names, who got rich after starting small businesses, from service to manufacturing to information technology.”

America loves underdogs, but contrary to Short’s spin, his members are capitalist overlords who are firmly entrenched in the top 1 percent of Americans who are only getting richer. As reported this week, the top 1 percent in America earned more money in 2012—one-fifth of America’s household income—than any year since 1928. In other words, Freedom Partners’ agenda is all about protecting private gain, greed and obstructing or dismantling government regulation of business, fairer taxation or investments in socially beneficial programs from healthcare to retirement security.

According to Politico, the group, which has 48 employees, is filled with a who’s who of corporate defenders and GOP ideologues. Its executive director is Richard Ribbentrop, a former head of the New York Stock Exchange’s Washington office, which, in addition to lobbying for Wall St. bailouts in 2008’s market collapse and then against new regulation of market excesses, also opposes financial transaction taxes—a huge potential revenue source. The group’s board includes longtime Koch employees, state and national GOP party officials, and Washington lobbyists.

Politico asked Short how his members felt about spending a quarter of a billion dollars in 2012 and losing the presidency, not retaking the Senate and alienating most Hispanic and Asian voters. “Our members are committed to the long term,” Short replied, “not to one individual cycle.”

In other words, a new era of class warfare in America is only just beginning.

http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/secret-quarter-billion-dollar-koch-brothers-political-operation-revealed?paging=off

Koch-Connected Group Revealed as Major Funder of CPPR, Other Dark Money Groups

by Viveca Novak on September 12, 2013 1:24 PM

This is the latest in an exclusive OpenSecrets Blog series about the funding and activities of politically active tax-exempt groups.