Jane Mayer's 'Dark Money' delves into the Koch brothers' vast influence and the secretive funding of political causes. The book is a well-researched and timely account of their empire, though it may feel lengthy due to the complexity of the subject matter.
Jane Mayer's 'Dark Money' is a comprehensive exploration of the Koch brothers' financial empire and their significant impact on American politics. The book traces the origins of the Koch family fortune, including their early dealings with dictators like Stalin and Hitler, and how this history shaped their political beliefs. Mayer meticulously documents the brothers' efforts to fund and influence political movements, often through secretive 'dark money' donations. The book is a persuasive and necessary read, though its length and detail may be overwhelming for some. Mayer's research is thorough, drawing on a wide range of sources and investigative journalism to paint a detailed picture of the Kochs' influence. The book's strength lies in its ability to connect the dots between the Kochs' financial activities and their broader political agenda, making it a crucial resource for understanding contemporary political dynamics.
Quick quotes
That effort may have backfired: Since that first article, Ms. Mayer has followed the trail of the tax-deductible “dark money” the brothers have secretly donated to political causes; absorbed the work of dozens of outstanding independent investigative journalists; ferreted out articles, speeches and interviews the brothers, or their advisers, have given, many of them quite revelatory; and secured access to previously unpublished sources.
Ms. Mayer begins with Fred Koch, the family patriarch. “Oddly enough,” she writes, “the fiercely libertarian Koch family owed part of its fortune to two of history’s most infamous dictators, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler,” for whose regimes Mr. Koch’s company built oil refineries in the 1930s.
His declared goal? Nothing less than destroying what he referred to as “the prevalent statist paradigm.