Resignations, Scandal Zap Koch-Backed Lobby Group

The influential Charles Koch-backed advocacy group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is in the middle of a tumultuous year, Brett Bachman reported for Salon.

Photo Insert: Charles Koch

So far, the libertarian organization has lost more than half of its board members, seen its president step down after an extramarital affair, lost Trump-era donors, and faced a workplace discrimination lawsuit.

A spokesperson for AFP downplayed any lingering turbulence from the developments, saying it has "grown into a world-class organization with hundreds of staff across 35 state chapters with more donors and more resources than we've ever had before.

In 2020, AFP and AFP Action engaged in – and won – more races than ever before, and we fully expect to exceed those numbers in 2022."

And indeed, though a number of notable Republican donors have backed away from the group as it attempted to readjust its messaging during the Trump years, this doesn't seem to have affected AFP's bottom line.

Tax forms show $64 million in revenue in 2020 — an increase from the $54 million in cash it managed to raise in 2019. Like most similar 501(c)(4) political advocacy groups, AFP does not disclose the names of its donors or the amounts of individual donations.

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