Koch Network Blasts Trump on Tariffs, Immigration: ‘Doing Long-term Damage to the Country’

KOCH-BROTHERS
(MSNBC)

Leading Koch network officials are reiterating their discontent towards President Donald Trump’s America First agenda.

Officials overseeing the network of donors and organizations, led by billionaires David and Charles Koch, voiced opposition to President Trump’s trade and immigration policies at the group’s biannual seminar in Colorado Springs over the weekend and blamed the administration’s “lack of leadership,” for increased levels of “divisiveness” in Washington, D.C.

“The divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage,” Brian Hooks, head of The Charles Koch Foundation, told the press. “When in order to win on an issue, someone else has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite and solve the problems of this country.”

“When we say there’s a lack of leadership … I’d include the White House and a number of politicians who are following that lead,” added Hooks. “There’s a need for someone to step up and show people it’s possible to achieve things when you unite people together … rather than divide them.”

Charles Koch is scheduled to appear in a video released at the gathering on Sunday, tying President Trump’s policies on border security and tariffs with the “a rise in protectionism.” Koch networks officials claim the Trump administration is resurrecting “Depression-era” policies and farmer “bailout,” as the U.S. moves to revamp its trade relationships with the European Union (E.U.) and China. “This is hurting people and doing long-term damage to the country,” Hooks fumed.

“And Koch network officials said they’re appalled by the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, which resulted in thousands of children being separated from their parents at the Southern border. The administration is rushing now to meet court-ordered deadlines to reunite those families,” The Hill reports.

“We’ve been very vocal in our opposition to that, it’s one of the main injustices we’re trying to work really hard to unite people around and ultimately to drive the administration to change their policy there,”James Davis, a Koch network spokesman, told reporters.

In order to receive an invitation to the conference, held at the five-star resort The Broadmoor, donors are expected to contribute $100,000 to the network. Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rep. Marsha Blackburn(R-TN) are among the elected officials and business leaders attending this weekend’s biannual seminar.

Networks organizers were mum about David Koch’s plans to step down from Koch Industries and other political networks due to health concerns. “Due to health reasons, David Koch will be resigning from the board of Americans for Prosperity Foundation,” Mark Holden, co-chairman of Seminar Network, said in a statement. “We greatly appreciate his vital role on the board and all that he has done to help us build a strong foundation for our future success. We wish him and his family well.”

As covered extensively by Breitbart News, the Koch brothers, once major financial backers of the Tea Party, are strong advocates for globalist trade and immigration policies. The LIBRE Initiative, a Koch-backed group, is spending seven-figures to send out mailers thanking open borders Democrats ahead of the November elections. The Koch-funded mailers lavish praise on Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), for pushing amnesty for illegal aliens. Earlier this year, three Koch-backed groups — Americans for Prosperity, LIBRE, and Freedom Partners — announced a multi-million dollar ad and lobbying campaign against the administration’s plan to use tariffs to combat China’s unfair trade practices.

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