T. Boone Pickens-Koch brothers feud tests Republican principles

[mahatmakanejeeves]

T. Boone Pickens-Koch brothers feud tests Republican principles

By KENNETH P. VOGEL | 7/22/11 4:35 AM EDT Updated: 7/22/11 12:14 PM EDT

An increasingly bitter personal rift between billionaires T. Boone Pickens and Charles and David Koch has morphed into an expensive political battle that is testing the commitment of House Republicans to the tea party principles many of them have publicly embraced.

The fight centers on legislation backed by Pickens that would grant tax breaks to the natural gas industry, and it is forcing Republican members to choose sides between a traditionally GOP-allied industry and the free-market purism of many conservatives.
....

Last month, for example, Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) withdrew his co-sponsorship of the measure after “I heard,” he said, that “T. Boone Pickens tends to stand to make a lot of money on it.” Pitts said, “I don’t want to be accused of, you know, doing some sweetheart deal for somebody.” So, he said “I decided I better get off.”

Six days later, Pitts accepted a $1,000 check from Koch PAC — part of a total of $14,000 that the PAC gave six House Republicans in the weeks after they pulled their co-sponsorships of the bill. In all, the political action committee of Koch Industries, the oil and chemical company owned by the libertarian-leaning Koch brothers has given $117,000 to Republican lawmakers who are — or have been — associated with the bill — including, it should be noted, $45,000 to 17 current co-sponsors after they added their names as co-sponsors to the bill. Other Republicans who accepted four-figure checks from Koch PAC soon after dropping off the bill included Reps. Blake Farenthold of Texas, Tim Griffin of Arkansas, John Kline of Minnesota, Steve Pearce of New Mexico and Glen Thompson of Pennsylvania.

[Dappleganger]

1. k&r