Less than a year after pledging to stop or alter donations to lawmakers who lied about 2020 election results — Detroit automakers are already back to giving them money.
Ford and General Motors are among dozens of companies that went back on their promises to draw back or stop donations after supporters of former President Donald Trump rioted at the Capitol a year ago.
GM initially said it would “pause” new donations and look deeper into the “character and public” integrity of those they are donating to.
It appears seditionists meet their criteria, however. According to FEC filings originally reported by left leading investigatory group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), in April 2020 GM spent over $US850,000 ($1,183,455) on federal candidates over the year, and over $US92,000 ($128,092) of that money went to members of Congress who voted to reject election results. Another $US15,000 ($20,885) went to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which supports Republicans who run for Senate seats.
Ford also paused new contribution in January.
“Events over the past year have underscored the need for a broader, ongoing discussion about other relevant considerations when it comes to our employee PAC,” the company said in a statement.
Much like GM, it didn’t take the Blue Oval long to get over their issues with governmental traitors. The company resumed contributions to Republicans in April – spending over $US457,000 (A$636,281) on federal races in 2021. That money, of course, includes $US34,000 (A$47,338) for members who voted to overthrow the will of the people on January 6th. Some of that money went to the reelection of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California who played a huge role in the events of January 6th. Ford also gave $US15,000 (A$20,885) to the National Republican Congressional Committee – which supports Republicans running for House seats.
Buckle up if you feel like adding insult to injury. Ford and GM were part of a group of corporations who SIGNED A FULL PAGE AD in the New York Times condemning discriminatory voting legislation being passed nationwide. It’s a full contradiction with them again, giving money to people who literally tried to overthrow the will of the people.
Keep in mind, they did all of this after numerous people died as a result of actions taken by people they were (and are) giving money to.
If you weren’t already grossed out by these automakers using their money to mess with your voting rights, ExxonMobil, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, FedEx, Pfizer and Raytheon are among a large number of companies participating in the same things Ford and GM are doing.
But I suppose big business is gonna big business.