WASHINGTON, April 25 (UPI) -- Billionaire and conservative/libertarian Charles Koch said the influential conservative network he helped found will not attend the potentially contested Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
During an ABC News interview, Koch said Freedom Partners will not be attending the convention, to be held July 18-21 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
"Why go?" Koch said. "We're not interested in politics. We're interested in moving us towards a culture and policies that will enable people to improve their lives."
Koch criticized the Republican presidential race, saying that personal attacks have derailed the campaign. He also said it would not be appropriate for House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has been urged to run for the presidency, to receive the nomination as a "white knight" to save the GOP in case of a contested convention.
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"I don't see how he could win," Koch said. "If he did, I mean that would create the impression this whole thing is rigged, which -- that's the opposite of the direction we want to go."
Koch previously caused a commotion by suggesting it would be "possible" that Hillary Clinton would be a better president than Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich -- the remaining Republican nominees.
The billionaire said that although his network has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Republican campaigns, his network's support is not allied to a party.
"We're not for somebody because they're Republican or against them because they are Democrat," Koch said. "If the Democrats will do a better job, we would support them. But we're not going to get in any campaign where we believe that we can't make a difference."
