Koch brothers quietly open lobbying office in downtown Madison

The billionaire brothers whose political action committee gave Gov. Scott Walker $43,000 and helped fund a multi-million dollar attack ad campaign against his opponent during the 2010 gubernatorial election have quietly opened a lobbying office in Madison just off the Capitol Square.

Koch Companies Public Sector LLC occupies a seventh-floor suite at 10 E. Doty St. According to an unidentified tenant there, the lobbying group moved in two weeks before Walker was elected governor on November 2. Jeffrey Schoepke, the company's regional manager, did not return a phone call seeking more information on the firm.

According to the Government Accountability Board's website, the firm has seven lobbyists who "represent various Koch Industries Inc. companies on public affairs matters, including Flint Hills Resources, LP, an energy purchaser and refiner & transporter of petroleum and Georgia-Pacific, LLC a manufacturer of paper, wood products and building materials." The group's lobbying interests are listed as "the environment, energy, taxation, business, policy and other areas affecting Koch Industries, Inc. companies."

The lobbyists for Koch Companies Public Sector registered with the state on January 5, two days after Walker's inauguration.

The expanded lobbying effort by the Koch brothers in Wisconsin raises red flags in particular because of a little discussed provision in Walker's repair bill that would allow Koch Industries and other private companies to purchase state-owned power plants in no-bid contracts.

http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_7e8aa25a-3ec0-11e0-9923-001cc4c03286.html

Funny, the article fails to mention busing truckloads of Teahadists in as part of their lobbying interests...

Got mentioned in the Assembly this evening, and has been a recent topic of discussion around town.

Seriously.

Why else would they open up an office in the heart of a massive protest--where tens of thousands who HATE everything
the Koch Heads stand for????

These protests are screwing Walker. They protests are peaceful, respectful and effective. I think the opposition
needs some controversy to incite bad behavior--so they can rationalize shutting it all down.

If they can get people to cause vandalism to that glass office (oh how convenient that its glass!), then they
can shift the focus of the protest to the violence and riotous feel. Then suddenly, worker's rights, fairness
and the idiocy of Walker--fade into the background.

Bastard orchestrators of manufactured bullshit!

...in this job?

HA! I wouldn't schlep for the Koch nimrods for 10k a day!