COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. _ As conservative mega-donors Charles and David Koch kick off their biannual summit with their extensive network of donors, Donald Trump lobbed a pre-emptive shot, claiming he had rebuffed the industrialists' request for a meeting.
But top officials to the Koch operation threw cold water on that Saturday afternoon, saying they had no knowledge of a meeting request.
"I know a meeting didn't happen. You'll have to talk to him about what his facts are," said Mark Holden, a top official for Freedom Partners, which oversees the network's myriad of advocacy, grass-roots and philanthropic arms.
The Kochs have steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of the presidential campaign this season, and Holden reiterated the network will train its efforts on six Senate races, rather than targeting the top of the ticket.
"We're focused on the Senate," was his repeated refrain, adding that while the group will not engage in explicit efforts to oppose Trump, it will not run purely anti-Hillary Clinton ads either.
Clinton will be featured in Senate ads run by the network, Holden said.
"We're going to tie the Democrat candidates to Hillary Clinton and the failed policies she supports, and highlight the differences with the Republican candidates we favor," he said.
His remarks came at the outset of a three-day donor summit held at a sprawling Colorado Springs resort at the base of the Rocky Mountains. About 400 donors, a quarter of whom are first-time participants, are attending, as well as a handful of Republican elected officials, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner.
