Politico reports today that Patriot Majority, a 501(c)4 that does not disclose its donors, is launching a $500,000 ad campaign accusing conservative philanthropists Charles and David Koch of seeking "to buy this year’s elections."
Patriot Majority is linked to Majority PAC, the Super PAC controlled by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Per Politico:
Unlike super PACs, though, Patriot Majority is registered under a section of the Tax Code — 501(c)4 — that allows it to keep its donors anonymous. Varoga wouldn’t reveal the funders behind the new campaign, but he said "we already have several million on hand to launch" the Greed Agenda, which he said would continue after Election Day. He wouldn’t rule out the possibility of eventually targeting other conservative donors, explaining "the Koch brothers are leading examples, but they’re not the only example."
Koch Industries is a Kansas-based manufacturing and refining conglomerate with more than 50,000 employees in the United States alone.
This is not the first attempt by Democrats to demonize the Koch brothers. In 2010, President Obama launched a campaign against the brothers and the organization they helped found, Americans for Prosperity, when he began railing against the group in a series of speeches in the run up to the midterm election.
The strategy was not successful, and the Koch brothers remain relatively unknown except to the most rabid Democratic activists.
The Obama campaign’s efforts were bolstered by a network of organizations like the Center for American Progress, which are funded by undisclosed donations of progressive millionaires and billionaires.
Though Patriot Majority does not disclose its donors, there are a number of possible Reid allies who might have an interest in attacking the Kochs. Reid’s son, Rory, is a lobbyist for ENN Mojave Energy LLC, the Nevada-based subsidiary of a Chinese solar manufacturing company that benefits from subsidies opposed by Koch Industries and championed by Harry Reid. The Las Vegas Review Journal recently flagged the relationship as "an undeniable conflict" of interest.
National Review recently reported on the explosive and mysterious growth in Harry Reid’s financial portfolio during his long tenure in politics.