Matt Bevin attends Koch brother's retreat alongside secret GOP donors

Thomas Novelly | Courier Journal

Gov. Matt Bevin spent the weekend alongside wealthy and secretive Republican mega-donors at the Koch brother's biannual meeting in Colorado.

Bevin was one of several elected officials on the guest list who were featured speakers at seminars for approximately 500 Koch donors, according to the Associated Press.

The Koch network, founded by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, is a series of nonprofit organizations that aim to add libertarian and Republican influence to public policy, politics and education.

More: 'Case is about the land': Board to decide on Bevin's property value

More: Bevin and McConnell have yet to say if they'll face Fancy Farm hecklers

Each of the 500 guests has committed to donating at least $100,000 annually to Koch initiatives.

Reporters who attended the three-day retreat at a luxury resort in Colorado Springs were allowed to attend certain events if they did not "identify the donors without their consent," according to the Wall Street Journal. Photos and videos were also prohibited, and guests were asked to give up their cell phones, too.

Other elected officials besides Bevin on the guest list included Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.

More: Major changes whipsaw Kentucky Medicaid in recent weeks

More: Kentucky enacts, then drops Medicaid copays in surprise reversal

More: 5 things to know about changes to Medicaid co-pay

Bevin is no stranger to the Koch brothers.

On Jan. 28, when Bevin declared a "day of prayer" for a shooting at Marshall County High School in Kentucky, he was in California at a Koch event where he praised donors for being “modern-day John Hancocks.” In August 2016, Bevin was in Colorado once again as a featured speaker at the Koch retreat.

Two representatives for Bevin did not return multiple requests for comment left by phone, email and text message on Sunday.

Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian and conservative advocacy group funded by the Koch brothers, praised Bevin in 2016 for attempting to add work requirements to Kentucky's Medicaid program to “give Medicaid patients skin in the game.”

A federal judge struck down Bevin's plans to overhaul Medicaid last month. On July 26, after fierce objections arose from medical providers and patient advocates, the Bevin administration decided to suspend their plan to mandatory co-pays on a host of Medicaid services.

Thomas Novelly: tnovelly@courierjournal.com, 502-582-4465. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/tomn.