Bad Companies, Part 1

A year has passed since the deadly insurrection on the U.S. Capitol and in the aftermath of the insurrection a great many corporations promised to defend democracy. By the end of that week, nearly every major company in the US and dozens committed to cutting off the lawmakers involved.  

Sounded nice on papers but the facts are quite different. By the end of 2021, corporations and trade groups still donated over $8.1 million to the 147 members of the Sedition Caucus ¹—the members of Congress who validated dangerous myths of voter fraud by objecting to election certification.  

I’m going to share those companies with you …

Altria Group 

After the attack, Altria spokesperson Steve Callahan said:

“Altria strongly condemns the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol. January 6 was a dark day in American history, and we look forward to the peaceful transition of power that will occur on January 20.”

Altria condemned the insurrection, openly opposed voter suppression legislation, and announced a suspension to its political donations after January 6 so the company could review its contribution criteria.  

Trouble is, those were just words, and in 2021, Altria spent at least $84,500 on campaign contributions to those Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election results, and donated to the governors of Georgia and Texas who signed voting restrictions into law. 

Boeing 

On January 14, 2021, eight days after the attack, Boeing released a statement:

“Boeing strongly condemns the violence, lawlessness and destruction that took place in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Given the current environment, we are not making political contributions at this time.” 

Boeing then spent the rest of the years donating a total of $190,000 to Congress’ Sedition Caucus, AKA the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election results. 

Chevron 

On January 6—the day of the attack—Chevron posted to Twitter:

“We call for the peaceful transition of the U.S. government. The violence in Washington, D.C. tarnishes a two-century tradition of respect for the rule of law. We look forward to engaging with President-Elect Biden and his administration to move the nation forward.” 

By May, that commitment was irrelevant, after Chevron donated $62,500  to the Sedition Caucus; Chevron has also donated to Texas’ governor and attorney general, who helped spread the Big Lie and restrict ballot access. 

More to come …

Accountable US