Charles Koch in 2015. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon for The Washington Post via Getty Images
A group affiliated with the Koch Network — owned by billionaire conservative brothers Charles and David Koch — said Tuesday that it would be a "reckless idea" for the Trump administration to slap new regulations on Google and other major tech companies.
Why it matters: The Kochs are major players in Republican politics who have also taken opportunities to distance themselves from President Trump.
What they're saying: "Regulating the results of Google or other tech companies is a reckless idea that would undermine essential elements of free speech," said Jim Fellinger, a spokesperson for Freedom Partners, in a statement. "Allowing the government to mandate the content that search engine providers display would set a dangerous precedent."
The Koch political network has at least one tie to larger tech companies: the Charles Koch Foundation is one of the funders of a Facebook effort to spur outside research on the impact of social media on elections.