Best Buy ceases contributions to congresspeople who voted against election certification
A Best Buy sign is displayed on the exterior of a Best Buy store. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(FOX 9) - Best Buy says it will stop providing campaign contributions to the members of Congress who voted against certification of the presidential election results.
In a statement Monday, Minnesota-based Best Buy said it will no longer provide the contributions to 147 members of congress.
Best Buy joins a growing list of companies that have decided to stop donating to Republican politicians in the wake of the vote.
Some companies, like Google and Facebook, are halting all political spending. Other companies, including Airbnb, FedEx and Ford Motor Company, have issued statements condemning the deadly attack and to say they are reevaluating political spending.
During the certification vote, an angry mob of Donald Trump supporters violently breached the halls of the U.S. Capitol, leaving five people dead.
President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 Election was eventually certified four days ago.
Here is a list of companies reevaluating their political contributions:
Airbnb
Airbnb released the following statement on Monday:
"Airbnb strongly condemns last week’s attack on the US Capitol and the efforts to undermine our democratic process. We will continue to uphold our community policies by banning violent hate group members when we learn of such memberships, and the Airbnb PAC will update its framework and withhold support from those who voted against the certification of the presidential election results."
American Express, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs
American Express and JPMorgan Chase have said they would no longer donate to candidates who supported last week's insurrection or did not vote to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the Electoral College. Goldman Sachs is also holding back on political donations, a source at the firm familiar with the matter said who is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
AT&T
In response to the violent pro-Trump insurrection that occurred last week, AT&T announced on Monday that it will "suspend contributions to members of Congress who voted to object the certification of Electoral College votes last week."
AT&T’s CEO, John Stankey condemned the Capitol riots and those who tried to prevent the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
bp America
According to a Tweet from the bp America account, "The bp employee political action committee will pause all contributions for six months. During this time the PAC will reevaluate its criteria for candidate support."
Dow Chemical Company
Dow Chemical Company wrote in a statement that it is "immediately suspending all corporate and employee political action committee (PAC) contributions to any member of Congress who voted to object to the certification of the presidential election."
"This suspension will remain in place for a period of one election cycle (two years for House members; up to six years for Senators), which specifically includes contributions to the candidate’s reelection committee and their affiliated PACs. Dow is committed to the principles of democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. Our values – integrity, respect for people, and protecting our planet – are the foundation on which we stand and our values guide our political contributions," the company added.
FedEx
FedEx, whose PAC donated $10,000 to Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, $1,000 to Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, $2,500 to Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming, and $2,000 to Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, told FOX Business that "multiple factors impact its decisions to support candidates" and that it will review "all future political contributions."
"We condemn the violence that occurred in Washington, D.C., and fully support the results of the U.S. general election," a spokesperson for FedEx added. "We congratulate and look forward to working with the Biden administration on policy issues important to our company and our customers."
Ford
Ford Motor Company’s PAC previously donated $15,500 to four senators — $7,000 to Roger Marshall, R-Kan., $5,000 to Mississippi Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, $2,500 to Wyoming Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis, and $1,000 to Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, FOX Business reported.
Hawley is currently facing calls for resignation after his continued rejection of Biden’s election victory — even after the Capitol riot.
The automaker condemned the violent actions at the Capitol, which it said "contradict the ideals of a free and fair election and a peaceful transition of power."
"Events over the past year have underscored the need for a broader, ongoing discussion about other relevant considerations," a Ford spokesperson told FOX Business.
Reuters reported on Monday that Google is pausing donations from its political action committee in response to the violent pro- Trump protests that left five dead, including one Capitol police officer.
"We have frozen all NetPAC political contributions while we review and reassess its policies following last week’s deeply troubling events," spokesman Jose Castaneda told Reuters.
Hallmark
Hallmark’s political action committee, HALLPAC, is requesting contributions it made to Republican Sen. Josh Hawley and Sen. Roger Marshall be returned.
"The recent actions of Senators Josh Hawley and Roger Marshall do not reflect our company’s values," the company wrote in a statement obtained by Reuters.
Shopify
Shopify, an e-commerce platform for merchants to sell goods, shut down the Trump campaign's merchandise website.
*Stripe*
The financial technology company Stripe has stopped processing payments for the Trump campaign, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because the decision hasn't been made public.
The move will cut off Trump's fundraising arm from what has been a steady stream of small-dollar donations that are often solicited through emails and text messages. Stripe's decision was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Jan 10.
In the days after the election, Trump's campaign raised tens of millions of dollars, promising to use the money toward fighting the results of the election. That money largely appears to have gone into Trump's broader political action committee.
Facebook also said it would suspend all political donations through the first quarter at least, while it reviews its policies, a company spokesperson told FOX Business.
Twitter suspended Trump from its platform, as did Facebook, last week, citing repeated policy violations an ongoing risk of incitement of violence in the wake of the pro-Trump riot inside the U.S. Capitol.
The Associated Press and FOX Business contributed to this story.