Deadly Capitol siege forces business pause on party donations

As the storming and siege of the United States Capitol continues to send shockwaves across America, a number of corporations have announced plans to shelve or limit political donations.

Four years ago, brands were having to put in place plans on how to react to criticism or praise from the newly elected President Trump, now they are keen to distance themselves from politicians who opposed certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Trump.

What’s happened?

• Citigroup – which is said to have donated some $742,000 to federal candidates in 2019–2020, 56% of it to Republicans – says it will pause all federal political donations for the first three months of the year, AP reports.
• Maker of medical devices Boston Scientific also confirmed it would pause donations while it reviewed its approach to political donations. The company said it believed in respecting the integrity of the democratic process, the election outcome and the peaceful transition of power.
• Other organizations, such as Marriott, and the Blue Cross Shield Association, which represents 36 insurers covering one in three Americans, say they will suspend donations to the 147 Republicans who voted to reject the Electoral College results that confirmed Biden’s victory.

Soundbite

“We want you to be assured that we will not support candidates who do not respect the rule of law. We support engaging with our political leaders even when we disagree…” – Citi’s head of global government affairs, Candi Wolff, in a memo to employees.

Sourced from Associated Press