June 28, 2018

Koch brothers plan to spend millions to rig Supreme Court choice

Common Dreams - After the U.S. Supreme Court this week crippled labor unions, sided with anti-choice health clinics, upheld President Donald Trump's Muslim ban, and preserved GOP gerrymandering, Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, which will enable Trump to nominate a far-right replacement—and the billionaire Koch Brothers' political network plans to pour millions into promoting the president's choice.

Once Kennedy's departure was made public, a spokesperson for the Koch-backed group Americans for Prosperity told NPR about plans to spend "seven figures" to support a forthcoming nominee.

As the Huffington Post noted, the Koch network—which includes the groups AFP, Freedom Partners, and Concerned Veterans for America—dropped millions on "waves of direct mail, canvassing, digital ads in a dozen states, town halls, and more than 500,000 phone calls" in support of Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch, who filled the seat left vacant by Antonin Scalia following a choice by Senate Republicans to block former President Barack Obama's efforts to appoint a justice to the position.

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