SEIZURE

Kochs Try to Take Over Cato Institute

Libertarian think tank struggles to stay independent.

One of the most respected names in Washington—the libertarian Cato Institute—is facing a forcible takeover by Charles and David Koch, the billionaire brothers who have made a name for themselves funding right-wing advocacy. Though Charles Koch was a founding member, he has not been involved in Cato for the past two decades. Now he’s trying to force in new board members to turn Cato into a Republican-aligned war machine providing “intellectual ammunition” to other Koch groups like the anti-tax Americans for Prosperity. Executives and scholars at Cato, who are known for working all over the political spectrum, are strongly opposed to the takeover, and many have promised to resign if they end up under Koch leadership.