President’s feud with Koch network risks dividing GOP
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s fight with the powerful public policy and political network led by billionaire Charles Koch risks fracturing the Republican Party just as it reaches the critical home stretch of its campaign to keep its congressional majorities in November elections.
In what amounts to struggle over the future of the party, the Republican National Committee joined Mr Trump’s attack on Mr Koch’s network in a letter to donors released late on Thursday that could exacerbate a fight with some of the nation’s most influential conservatives.
“This week, the Koch Network announced they will no longer support only Republicans running for office, and that moving forward they will support candidates that fit their agenda — even if they are Democrats,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel wrote. “Some groups who claim to support conservatives forgo their commitment when they decide their business interests are more important than those of the country or party. This is unacceptable.”
The RNC letter drew disbelief from some Republicans. “The RNC distancing itself from the Kochs represents the Republican Party’s repudiation of free-market economics and its embrace of its new-founded identity as a political cult,” said Rick Tyler, a Republican strategist who worked on Senator Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The letter followed an announcement the network made on Monday not to endorse — at least for now — a Republican US Senate candidate in North Dakota, Representative Kevin Cramer, because of disagreements over policy positions.
The decision not to support Mr Cramer was cast as a warning to other Republicans who might be tempted to stray from the free-market, fiscally restrained approach backed by Mr Koch. Mr Cramer is challenging Senator Heidi Heitkamp, one of 10 Senate Democrats who face re-election in states Mr Trump won in 2016.
At a weekend donor summit in Colorado, the network also criticised Mr Trump’s restrictive trade policies and combative leadership, while putting forward a more bipartisanship tone in saying it might work with some Democrats.
The RNC is also planning to emphasise to donors that money given to the network could end up supporting a Democrat and put GOP congressional majorities at risk, according to a party official who wasn’t authorised to speak on the record about donor messaging.
The network has funnelled millions to conservative candidates and causes and keeping its supporters happy has traditionally been important to Republicans, especially in election years. It plans to spend about US$400 million on state and federal policy during the two-year cycle that culminates with November’s balloting, a 60% increase over 2015-16.