Leaked Secret Koch Brothers Call on Secret Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 08/27/2014
CONTACT: Max Croes — 907-570-2065

ANCHORAGE — A leaked transcript of a secret conference call between Koch brothers groups proves their intent to buy Alaska’s senate seat for Dan Sullivan to support the Koch brothers own dangerous agenda. The Koch brothers are dumping millions of dollars into Alaska to prop up Sullivan, who hasn’t been seen or heard from in a week.

The groups also proved they still haven’t learned much about Alaska by awkwardly stating that Alaska is a “peninsular” state.

“The Koch brothers are happy to spend millions of dollars to speak on Dan Sullivan’s behalf while he avoids meeting face to face with Alaskans. This call might as well be Dan Sullivan’s campaign, shadowy groups that don’t know Alaska discussing how to spend millions of dollars on attack ads,” said Max Croes, Communications Director for Alaskans for Begich.

Earlier this year the Koch brothers eliminated 80 Alaska jobs by closing the Flint Hills refinery. Residents of North Pole are now facing higher taxes after the closure of the facility.

Calls like this are made possible by the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling that allows anonymous spending by billionaires and states corporations are people. Sullivan has endorsed the court ruling and the practices that allow anonymous attack ads. Call attendees noted that the Koch Brothers money is changing the political landscape as they attempt to buy Senate seats for their own corporate interests.

The secret conference was leaked to the Huffington Post with redacted statements and focuses heavily on the Koch brothers building “infrastructure” in Alaska. Talk of investing in Alaska comes after the Koch’s closed a refinery in North Pole, killing 80 Alaska jobs and causing increased taxes on residents.

The transcript features Americans for Prosperity’s president, Tim Phillips, and Freedom Partners’ president, Marc Short. Both groups have supported Dan Sullivan by running attack ads in Alaska, many of which have been labeled false by independent fact check groups.

“MARC SHORT: [TYPING IN THE BACKGROUND.] The next up is Alaska. Alaska (inaudible). It’s a state that is very Republican. It’s a state that (inaudible), and we think this is going to be (inaudible). Of all the Democrats running right now, Mark Begich is (inaudible).

—CUT IN AUDIO—

“TIM PHILLIPS: Well, Marc, we are just hiring Americans for Prosperity staff in Alaska. We have a long way to go. You know, peninsular states, whatever you do now or whatever (inaudible) the lower 48 (inaudible) Alaska. So this is an uphill state, even though it is still red.

“And it points out that (inaudible) the success of the model that you helped build because we don’t have anything. And so what should be more of a, a (inaudible) we don’t have the infrastructure like we do in Arkansas, or North Carolina, or Louisiana.

Mark Begich supports a constitutional amendment to permanently overturn the Citizens United ruling and has signed the We The People Alaska pledge stating his belief that corporations are not people.