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Hillary Clinton Rejects ‘Support’ From Billionaire Charles Koch

By Val Powell
Published on: 23:09 PST, Apr 24, 2016

Charles Koch, considered to be among the 10 richest men in the world, appeared in an interview with ABC News on Sunday and talked about Hillary Clinton and his thoughts on the upcoming presidential nominations.

Koch, who is listed by Forbes as the seventh richest man in the United States and ninth richest man in the world, answered some controversial questions about the GOP and his somewhat supportive comments for Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.

In the interview, Koch, 80, expressed his disappointment over Republican candidate Donald Trump because of the personal attacks he has launched against his rivals in the GOP nomination. In addition, the business tycoon said that Trump’s plans to build a great wall around the border of Mexico and creating a national registry for Muslims are “monstrous” and reminiscent of what happened in Nazi Germany.

When the interviewer asked Koch why he has not made any moves to oppose Trump’s impending win for the Republican nomination, the Koch Industries CEO just said that he thinks Trump’s rivals are not worthy either.

“These personal attacks and pitting one person against the other — that’s the message you’re sending the country,” he said in the interview. “You’re role models and you’re terrible role models. So how — I don’t know how we could support ’em.”

He also pointed out what Texas Senator Ted Cruz said he would do if he were to become president, which is to “carpet bomb” ISIS in the Middle East and “make the sand glow.”

Koch said that while the controversial statement may be hyperbole, it does not change the fact that the candidate believes that what he said appeals to the American people.

“This is frightening,” he said.

Instead of supporting pro and anti campaign groups and protests, Koch stated that he is building “alliances” that aim to make the country better.

The business chief executive also admitted that the entire system is rigged in favor of the wealthy and the elite. He even said that his company benefits from what he called “corporate welfare.”

He was also asked which president is more disappointing, George W. Bush or Barack Obama. Koch did not want to make the comparison and instead inserted Bill Clinton into the conversation.

In his comparison, Koch said that Bush was a good person who just tried to do the right thing. However, he pointed out the former president’s “ill-advised” all-out war against Iraq, as well as the massive increase in the size of government during his term.

On the other hand, Koch mentioned that Bill Clinton was good for business during his time, especially the way the administration tackled federal spending and government regulation.

He also said that another Clinton presidency (Hillary) may be what the Republicans and the country need, although he stressed that the former Secretary of State should slightly veer away from her “rhetoric” when she begins to actually govern the country.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton was quick to respond to Koch’s seeming support for her.

Clinton took to Twitter to discredit the compliment she received from Koch’s interview.

“Not interested in endorsements from people who deny climate science and try to make it harder for people to vote,” Hillary Clinton posted on social media.

According to a report by Politico, the support from Koch is actually a device that the Republican party proponent wanted to use in order to weaken Clinton’s campaign. Considering the fact that the primaries are still ongoing, there is still a possibility that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders could upset Hillary’s candidacy.

Hillary Clinton did not want anything to do with Koch, who has popularly discredited climate science and also tries to make it more difficult for people to vote.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

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