The Koch's 'secret bank' takes another step out of the shadows For the first time, Freedom Partners

[babsbunny]

The Koch's 'secret bank' takes another step out of the shadows
For the first time, Freedom Partners puts its name on political ads


http://news.yahoo.com/the-koch-s--secret-bank--takes-another-step-out-of-the-shadows-031543616.html

By Chris Moody, Yahoo News 1 hour ago Yahoo News

Eight months ago, Politico tagged a little-known trade association called Freedom Partners as “the Koch brothers’ secret bank.” The Arlington-Va.-based organization, founded in 2011, had been bankrolling a sprawling network of conservative advocacy groups with the assistance of billionaire businessmen Charles and David Koch.

This week, as the Koch brothers remain a high-profile Democratic obsession, Freedom Partners took its biggest step forward out of the shadows, announcing the first ad buy in its three-year history to bear its own name. The $3 million Freedom Partners television ad buy will target Democrats running for reelection in five states over their support of the Affordable Care Act.

The decision to put its name on the ads represents a massive shift in Freedom Partners’ strategy, which previously saw it quietly playing Daddy Warbucks for member groups competing for grants and financing ad campaigns through more public organizations.The conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity in recent years was the Koch's go-to vessel for attack ads, dropping $122 million on spots in 2012 and shelling out another $30 million during the current midterm election cycle. But AFP has faced a media backlash to recent ads against Obamacare in which fact checkers say include dubious claims.