Aegis Strategic
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Follow the money in the Koch wiki. |
Aegis Strategic is a Koch-backed political consulting firm that seeks to "help electable advocates of the freedom and opportunity agenda who will be forceful at both the policy and political levels."[1] According to Politico, Aegis Strategic was founded "with the Kochs’ blessing after an analysis concluded that their network’s efforts in the run-up to the 2012 election suffered from flawed GOP candidates."[2] Aegis Strategic states that it will help with every aspect of a campaign, including in building a team, strategizing, and advertising.[3]
Aegis Strategic is owned and run by Jeff Crank, a Koch operative who previously served as state director for the Colorado chapter of Americans for Prosperity.[4] Mother Jones reported that "People who've spoken with Crank about Aegis say he told them that the firm has access to the Kochs' formidable donor network."[5] Brad Stevens, another known Koch associate and former state director for Americans for Prosperity-Nebraska, is in charge of candidate identification.[5]
| Koch Wiki |
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The Koch brothers -- David and Charles -- are the right-wing billionaire co-owners of Koch Industries. As two of the richest people in the world, they are key funders of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN). In SourceWatch, key articles on the Kochs include: Koch Brothers, Koch Industries, Americans for Prosperity, American Encore, and Freedom Partners. |
Contents
Aegis Strategic and Trees of Liberty Coordinate to Elect Joni Ernst
During the Koch's donor summit at the St. Regis in Dana Point, California in 2014, Aegis hosted a reception under the name Victory Trust 2014 to raise money for Ernst.[2] Aegis's President Jeff Crank also moderated a panel that Ernst was featured in.[2] Following the summit, Victory Trust 2014 would give over $60,000 to Ernst's campaign and $58,500 to Aegis in consulting fees.[6]
Read CMD's IRS complaint filed against Trees of Liberty here.
Ties to the Koch Brothers
Aegis Strategic has strong ties to the Koch Brothers and their vast network. The owner Jeff Crank and the director of candidate information Brad Stevens both previously worked for the Koch's Americans for Prosperity.
Freedom Partners, a 501(c)(6) chamber of commerce linked to the Kochs, paid $1.2 million in consulting fees to Aegis in 2014.[7]
Aegis Strategic Founds Aegis PAC
In June of 2015, Aegis Strategic created Aegis PAC to raise funds for fiscally conservative candidates.[8] According to its website, it has backed the following candidates in the 2016 Elections:[9]
U.S. Senate
- Pat Toomey (R-PA)
- Ron Johnson (R-WI)
- Joe Heck (R-NV)
- Rob Portman (R-OH)
U.S. House
- Pam Tucker (R-NH) Tucker suspended her campaign on May 2, 2016 and was removed from the AegisPAC site.[10]
- John Faso (R-NY)
- Jim Banks (R-IN) Banks was removed from the Aegis PAC site and he is no longer a candidate it publicly supports.
- Lee Zeldin (R-NY)
- Don Bacon (R-NE)
Governors
- Greg Gianforte (R-MT) Gianforte was removed from the Aegis PAC site and he is no longer a candidate it publicly supports.
- Bill Cole (R-WV)
State Attorney Generals
- Josh Hawley (MO)
Staff[11]
- Jeff Crank, President
- Alan Philip, Chief Operating Officer
- Brad Stevens, Director of Candidate Identification
- Joe Burgan, Candidate Identification
- Julie Treadman, Director of Special Projects
- Tommy van der Heydt, Director of Development
- Aaron Greenberg, Political Analyst
- Christina Van Horn, Political Analyst
Former Staff
- Karl Crow, Strategist[12]
Contact Information
Aegis Strategic
2000 14th Street N.
Suite 710
Arlington, VA 22201
Phone: (703) 935.0471
Email: info@aegis-strategic.com
Website: http://aegis-strategic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Aegis-Strategic-1610419429225692/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aegisstrategic
References
- ↑ Aegis Strategic, What We Do, Aegis Strategic, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kenneth P. Vogel, How the Kochs launched Joni Ernst, Politico, November 12, 2015.
- ↑ Aegis Strategic, What We Do, Aegis Strategic, 2016.
- ↑ Lynn Bartels, Jeff Crank leaves AFP Colorado to form GOP candidate recruitment firm, The Denver Post, August 13, 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Andy Kroll, New Koch-Linked Political Firm Aims to Handpick "Electable" Candidates, Mother Jones, January 17, 2014.
- ↑ Open Secrets, Victory Trust 2014 Expenditures, Center for Responsive Politics", 2016.
- ↑ Freedom Partners, 2014 990, Freedom Partners, 2015.
- ↑ AegisPAC, FEC Form 1, Aegis PAC, June 17, 2015.
- ↑ AegisPAC, Meet our Candidates, Aegis PAC, 2016.
- ↑ Pam Tucker, Thanks!, Pam Tucker, May 2, 2016.
- ↑ Aegis Strategic, Your Aegis Team, Aegis Strategic, 2016.
- ↑ LinkedIn, Karl Crow LinkedIn Profile, LinkedIn, 2016.
