Praise for conservative billionaire David Koch came from an unlikely source on Monday: MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell.
O'Donnell praised Koch on his return Monday to "The Last Word" after being off air for 75 days following a serious car accident in the British Virgin Islands. He was being cared for at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, where Koch is on the board of trustees and donated $25 million in 2009,
Politico reported.
"The first words I saw when I rolled into the hospital was the name David H. Koch. Yes, that David Koch," O'Donnell said on his show. "Now, brace yourselves please, for the first positive words said about David Koch on this program."
He said that while he agreed with Senate Majority Leader Harry's Reid's criticisms of the Koch brothers' role in American politics, he thought it important to point out that they contribute to other
worthy social causes.
"You can be outraged by what the Koch brothers do with their money in politics, and you can appreciate what they contribute to hospitals and medical research, and you can do that at the same time and still retain an ability to function," O’Donnell said. "And so, yes, I feel some gratitude to David Koch."
O'Donnell was treated for a broken hip and other leg injuries, and received therapy to restore his ability to walk, Politico reported.
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