This hedge-fund "school reformer" is so rich, he donates to the Koch Bros.

Griffin is the one on the right

Greg Hinz at Crain's, "Follow the money: Citadel's Ken Griffin and the Illinois GOP," reports on the Chicago hedge-fund billionaire who secretly throws millions into Republican political campaigns.

Wait, did I say Republican? There are no Republicans in Chicago so Griffin does the next best thing. He writes six-figure checks made out to the Rahm Emanuel campaign fund.

Writes Hinz:

In a fascinating series of events that just now are coming to light, it appears that every single penny the Illinois Republican Party got in the first quarter from other political groups for non-federal elections came courtesy of Ken Griffin, CEO of Chicago hedge fund Citadel LLC, and his wife, Anne Griffin, one way or another.

As I have pointed out before on these pages, Ken and Anne Griffin are also powerhouse players in corporate-style school reform and will back any politician in either party, who opposes the teachers union or who supports an expansion of privately-run charter schools. 

The Griffins were largely responsible for bringing the Portland-based group, Stand For Children into Illinois to manage the campaign around SB7. 

In the 2012 election cycle, the couple gave over $500,000 to the Republican Governors Association, $300,000 to Rove's American Crossroads, and $150,000 to the Wisconsin Club for Growth. 

Charles Koch named them as part of a list of elite donors who have pledged $1 million to his and brother David's conservative fundraising machine. Yes, the Griffins are so rich, they even donate money to help out the Koch Bros.