Politics

Group that attacked Vitter for praising Kochs took $1.5 million from George Soros

Patrick Howley Political Reporter
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The group that flagged Republican Sen. David Vitter’s comment praising the Koch brothers received $1.5 million from progressive billionaire George Soros.

“I think the Koch brothers are two of the most patriotic Americans,” Vitter said this week at a Louisiana town hall, referring to billionaire conservative donors Charles and David Koch. “Maybe this is a good example, because I’ll be honest with you, God bless the Koch brothers. They’re fighting for our freedom.”

The super PAC American Bridge 21st Century posted video of Vitter’s statement for operatives and the mainstream media to use the senator’s remarks against him.

American Bridge 21st Century, formed by David Brock to capture Republican gaffes, received a $1 million donation from Soros in 2012. Soros gave another $500,000 to the PAC on December 30, 2013. Soros also gave $1 million to Media Matters in 2010 to attack Fox News.

Though the media has vilified the Koch brothers since the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in the Citizens United case, it has shied away from reporting on pro-Obama Super PAC donor Soros’ lavish spending for progressive causes and his influence in the mainstream media.

Soros is also a major donor to the Center for American Progress, the think tank whose advocacy arm oversees the journalism outlet ThinkProgress, which was accused by former writers of coordinating closely with contacts in the Obama administration.

The Koch brothers are the 59th biggest political donors in the United States, with the country’s six largest union donors spending fifteen times more than the Kochs between 1989 and 2014.