Two billionaire brothers who have poured their fortune into a network of charitable organizations that are dedicated to supporting Republican causes and candidates have been drawn into an unusual and very public spat with the Majority Leader of the US senate, Harry Reid.
Senator Reid, a Democrat, provoked a new round of recriminations when, in off-the-cuff remarks on the Senate floor on Thursday, he openly accused David and Charles Koch of "actually trying to buy the country" by funding the organizations. He was speaking in support of a White House-backed plan to place new disclosure rules on the groups and limits on how far they can involve themselves in politics while retaining tax-free status.
"What they're doing is spending their ... dollars on governor's races, and on the state level and, of course, spending huge amounts of money around the country attempting to defeat Democrats both in the House and the Senate," Reid said. "The Koch brothers hide all their campaign efforts. They disguise themselves with rare exception as social welfare organisations, with all these fancy names going after people who are trying to improve the country."
The comments were sufficiently irksome to the Kansas-based Koch Industries, which has enormous holdings in mining, energy and chemicals, that it offered a rare rebuke. Philip Ellender, the president of Koch Companies Public Sector, said Reid's "divisive remarks were not only disrespectful and beneath the office he holds, they were indicative of what lengths he and his Democratic allies will go to eliminate and silence their political opposition".
Two billionaire brothers who have poured their fortune into a network of charitable organizations that are dedicated to supporting Republican causes and candidates have been drawn into an unusual and very public spat with the Majority Leader of the US senate, Harry Reid.
Senator Reid, a Democrat, provoked a new round of recriminations when, in off-the-cuff remarks on the Senate floor on Thursday, he openly accused David and Charles Koch of "actually trying to buy the country" by funding the organizations. He was speaking in support of a White House-backed plan to place new disclosure rules on the groups and limits on how far they can involve themselves in politics while retaining tax-free status.
"What they're doing is spending their ... dollars on governor's races, and on the state level and, of course, spending huge amounts of money around the country attempting to defeat Democrats both in the House and the Senate," Reid said. "The Koch brothers hide all their campaign efforts. They disguise themselves with rare exception as social welfare organisations, with all these fancy names going after people who are trying to improve the country."
The comments were sufficiently irksome to the Kansas-based Koch Industries, which has enormous holdings in mining, energy and chemicals, that it offered a rare rebuke. Philip Ellender, the president of Koch Companies Public Sector, said Reid's "divisive remarks were not only disrespectful and beneath the office he holds, they were indicative of what lengths he and his Democratic allies will go to eliminate and silence their political opposition".
Senator Reid, a Democrat, provoked a new round of recriminations when, in off-the-cuff remarks on the Senate floor on Thursday, he openly accused David and Charles Koch of "actually trying to buy the country" by funding the organizations. He was speaking in support of a White House-backed plan to place new disclosure rules on the groups and limits on how far they can involve themselves in politics while retaining tax-free status.
"What they're doing is spending their ... dollars on governor's races, and on the state level and, of course, spending huge amounts of money around the country attempting to defeat Democrats both in the House and the Senate," Reid said. "The Koch brothers hide all their campaign efforts. They disguise themselves with rare exception as social welfare organisations, with all these fancy names going after people who are trying to improve the country."
The comments were sufficiently irksome to the Kansas-based Koch Industries, which has enormous holdings in mining, energy and chemicals, that it offered a rare rebuke. Philip Ellender, the president of Koch Companies Public Sector, said Reid's "divisive remarks were not only disrespectful and beneath the office he holds, they were indicative of what lengths he and his Democratic allies will go to eliminate and silence their political opposition".
Two billionaire brothers who have poured their fortune into a network of charitable organizations that are dedicated to supporting Republican causes and candidates have been drawn into an unusual and very public spat with the Majority Leader of the US senate, Harry Reid.
Senator Reid, a Democrat, provoked a new round of recriminations when, in off-the-cuff remarks on the Senate floor on Thursday, he openly accused David and Charles Koch of "actually trying to buy the country" by funding the organizations. He was speaking in support of a White House-backed plan to place new disclosure rules on the groups and limits on how far they can involve themselves in politics while retaining tax-free status.
"What they're doing is spending their ... dollars on governor's races, and on the state level and, of course, spending huge amounts of money around the country attempting to defeat Democrats both in the House and the Senate," Reid said. "The Koch brothers hide all their campaign efforts. They disguise themselves with rare exception as social welfare organisations, with all these fancy names going after people who are trying to improve the country."
The comments were sufficiently irksome to the Kansas-based Koch Industries, which has enormous holdings in mining, energy and chemicals, that it offered a rare rebuke. Philip Ellender, the president of Koch Companies Public Sector, said Reid's "divisive remarks were not only disrespectful and beneath the office he holds, they were indicative of what lengths he and his Democratic allies will go to eliminate and silence their political opposition".
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