One of the Brookings Institution‘s most powerful rich Americans was powerful enough to get off the list — by arguing he wasn’t rich enough.
North Carolina businessman Art Pope successfully got himself removed from the think tank’s “U.S. Billionaires Political Power Index.”
Compiled by Brookings Vice President Darrell M. West, the ranking of 25 top politically active billionaires was posted earlier this month to tease West’s new book on the topic.
After seeing his place on the ranking, Pope sent a letter to Brookings, refuting his billionaire status and claiming several other facts on the website about him were wrong, according to the Charlotte News Observer.
A budget-cutting conservative who is very active in North Carolina politics, Pope has now been replaced by Paul Singer, a conservative Republican who spends millions on GOP legislators who support same-sex marriage.
The Koch brothers took the top spot, followed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hedge fund manager and climate change champion Tom Steyer.
