Scott Brown, friend to oil company magnates everywhere.

Scott Brown, friend to oil company magnates everywhere.

Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren have a no-Super-PAC pact in the Massachusetts Senate race that has kept outside groups from running television and radio ads. But the pact hasn't stopped Super PACs from getting involved with things like mailings. Super PACs like America 360 , a pro-Brown Super PAC that has spent around $200,000 in direct mail attacking Elizabeth Warren.

What else should you know about America 360? It's "funded almost entirely by an oil and coal company owned by William Koch." The PAC has a little over $50,000 in donations from three other individuals, and more than $500,000 from Oxbow Carbon, William Koch's company. Yes, there's another Koch brother.



According to its website, Oxbow Carbon and its affiliated companies earn $4 billion in yearly sales, primarily through mining and marketing energy, including coal, petroleum and natural gas. [...] Koch made the news this week when, according to the Denver Post, a former employee accused Koch of “holding him captive” on his private ranch for several hours while questioning him about allegations of misconduct. Oxbow Carbon had previously sued the employee for allegedly misappropriating revenue. The New York Times recently profiled Koch because of a debate over a Colorado land swap involving Koch’s ranch and government land.

One of Warren's most effective sustained hits on Brown has been on his repeated votes to protect subsidies for oil companies (subsidies that Brown has said don't exist ). The emergence of yet another Koch brother who, yes, owns an oil company and has created a Super PAC to support Brown with the profits of that company both reinforces Warren's attack, and provides more fuel for it.

It's getting harder and harder for Brown to pretend he's an independent player for Massachusetts. The company he keeps will betray him every time.

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