In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, many of the nation’s largest corporations pledged that they would suspend donations to elected officials who opposed the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, hindered the peaceful transfer of power or incited violence. Some said they would stop contributing all together.
The vast majority kept their word, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
“There was a lot of cynicism around the announcements when they first were made,” said Judd Legum, the founder of the Popular Information newsletter, which focuses on the role of money in politics. But “it wasn’t just empty statements. These filings look different than they would have looked had they not made those statements.”
New fundraising disclosures filed Friday show, however, that several businesses that made the pledge, including Cigna, AT&T and Intel, gave at least $75,000 to 37 Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying the election results and six of their associated political action committees. These companies also gave $45,000 to GOP campaign arms for the Senate — run by an anti-certification senator — and the House, where two-thirds of the Republican caucus opposed recognizing the election results.
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