Representative Gardner Gets Support from Company Doing Business with Iran

Press release: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Last year Congress passed the Iran Sanctions Act with strong bipartisan support, but a new Bloomberg investigation revealed that one of Representative Cory Gardner (CO-04)’s large supporters, who spent over $300,000 to benefit his campaign, profited from business with Iran despite the country’s known links to financing terrorists. Not only did Gardner’s Koch Industries supporters do controversial business with Iran, but its owners have spent “untold millions” over the past 30 years to privatize Social Security.

“Nearly unanimously, the House of Representatives decided on tough sanctions against companies that do business with the Iranian regime, which is known for their sponsorship of terrorism and calls of ‘death to America,’ but that hasn’t stopped Representative Cory Gardner from taking campaign cash from Koch Industries which did business with Iran,” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Why is Cory Gardner keeping campaign cash from his controversial Koch Industries supporters that did business with Iran and are pushing an extreme Tea Party agenda that would privatize Social Security?”

Bloomberg reports that “Koch Industries — in addition to being involved in improper payments [bribes] to win business in Africa, India and the Middle East — has sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to Iran, a country the U.S. identifies as a sponsor of global terrorism.” While Koch Industries profited in Iran, it has defended taxpayer subsidies for its own Big Oil interests here at home.

Background

Gardner Has Received $12,500 From Koch Industries Interests. Representative Gardner has benefited from $12,500 in donations from Koch Industries. [CQ Moneyline, accessed 10/3/11]

Koch Run Americans for Prosperity Spent $302,364 to Elect Gardner. Americans for Prosperity, founded by David Koch and run by Koch Industries executives, spent $302,364 on Representative Gardner in 2010. [DCCC Media Buy Analysis]

AFP Founded In 2003 By David H. Koch. The New York Times wrote about David H. Koch, noting that “in 2003 he helped establish the nonprofit Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which supports free-market policies and promotes government spending limits. It split off from an earlier Koch-backed enterprise, now called FreedomWorks, which promotes similar goals.” [New York Times , 7/10/08]

Americans for Prosperity Funded, Run by Koch Industries Executives. Americans for Prosperity was founded by David H. Koch, one of the wealthiest men in America and the executive vice president and board member of Koch Industries, which was founded by his father. Recently, Koch gave $5 million to Americans for Prosperity. In 2009, AFP President Tim Phillips said Koch “launched our organization.”  The executive Vice President of Koch Industries said, “What we have done is support the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which has been active in various forms for nearly 30 years.”  [New York Times  , 7/10/08; MSNBC, 3/31/10; Politico, 10/14/08, Washington Examiner, 7/18/10 ; Washington Independent, 10/5/09  ]

Koch Brothers Flout Law Getting Richer With Secret Iran Sales. “A Bloomberg Markets investigation has found that Koch Industries — in addition to being involved in improper payments to win business in Africa, India and the Middle East — has sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to Iran, a country the U.S. identifies as a sponsor of global terrorism.” [Bloomberg, 10/3/11]

David Koch Pledged to Abolish Social Security. “In 1980, David Koch ran for vice president on the Libertarian ticket, pledging to abolish Social Security, the Federal Reserve System, welfare, minimum wage laws and federal agencies — including the Department of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency.” [Bloomberg, 10/3/11  ]

Koch Financed Groups Advocate for the Privatization of Social Security. “Charles and David Koch are not newcomers to the right-wing ideological movement. […] For decades, the vast Koch wealth financed and built the rightwing movement in America. […] Koch-financed groups such as the Cato Institute, Heritage, and Americans for Prosperity advocate for the partial privatization of Social Security.” [Center for American Progress, 4/11]

The Kochs are “America’s richest brothers and notorious underwriters of the right-wing” and have “spent untold millions on right-wing candidates and causes.” [Forbes, 1/18/11  ]

Congress Passed Iran Sanctions Act. In June 2010, Congress passed the Iran Sanctions Act which expanded sanctions on companies that engage in certain trade with Iran relating to petroleum and gas production and refinement. [CQ Floor Votes; HR 2914, Vote #394, 6/4/10]]

The Colorado Independent

Dems blast Gardner for accepting Koch cash
By Troy Hooper |

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wasted little time linking at least one Colorado congressman to Monday’s damning Bloomberg Markets Magazine report on Koch Industries. Read More