Corporations have given over $85 million bankrolling the Big Lie
These numbers are updated regularly and up to date totals and scores can be found on the main report page.
Nearly 1,800 companies and industry groups have donated $145.5 million to Donald Trump and 167 congressional election deniers, including nearly 200 companies that originally committed not to give to these officials following the January 6th insurrection, according to a new report released today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Meanwhile, several dozen corporations, including major international corporations like Nike, Lyft and eBay, have continued to make good on their pledge to not fund the members of Congress who pushed the Big Lie.
Since 2021, CREW has tracked corporate donations to the Sedition Caucus: Donald Trump, the 147 members of Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 election, and later, the 20 new members who won in the 2022 midterms while falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen. This new report incorporates additional data to rank companies not only by the amount of money they give to the officials who undermine democracy, but also by the relative extremity of the lawmakers to whom they donate. Under this new criteria, CREW determined that the following companies were doing the most harm to democracy:
- Koch Industries has donated $1.6 million to 105 congressional election deniers and insurrection enablers
- AT&T has donated $1.2 million to 130 congressional election deniers and insurrection enablers
- American Crystal Sugar has donated $1.1 million to 113 congressional election deniers and insurrection enablers
- Lockheed Martin has donated $1 million to 118 congressional election deniers and insurrection enablers
- UPS has donated $980,000 to 109 congressional election deniers and insurrection enabler
“Corporate money plays an outsized role in American politics, so corporations have great power either to normalize attacks on democracy or to signal that these attacks won’t be tolerated. When corporations support congressional election deniers and insurrection enablers, they signal that those actions are acceptable,” said CREW President Noah Bookbinder. “The threat posed to democracy that was so apparent on January 6, 2021, has not gone away–in fact, it may be graver than ever, even if many corporations have resumed business as usual.”
In addition to corporations, trade associations and related groups have also donated tens of millions to congressional election deniers. This includes the nearly two dozen groups that committed not to give in the wake of the insurrection. Through its research, CREW determined the National Association of Realtors, the National Association of Auto Dealers and the American Bankers Association are doing the most harm to democracy of these groups.
“While the number of corporations and trade groups enabling the elected officials who are most harming our democracy is undoubtedly alarming, the dozens who have not resumed giving show that the possible short-term benefits of donating are not a justifiable excuse for not protecting democracy in the long-term,” said Bookbinder. “It is possible for companies to do the right thing and still succeed economically, and it is positive that some corporations recognize that protecting democratic institutions is also good for business. Those corporations and groups who have been supporting congressional election deniers should immediately adopt or reinstate pledges to withhold donations and let their recipients know that their attacks on democracy are absolutely unacceptable.”