Companies weigh options knowing ‘scrutiny is not going to go away’
AT&T’s political action committee shelled out more than $322,000 to members of Congress and party committees in January 2019. Two years later, the same corporate PAC disclosed no donations at all. Ditto for Comcast’s PAC, which dished out $231,000in January 2019 and nothing to federal coffers in the first, tumultuous month of this year.
The unusual inaction of the two PACs, among the biggest of their kind, is emblematic of a dramatic plunge in contributions by all corporate PACs following the deadly Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill.
Early campaign finance data show that companies and organizations largely stuck to their public pledges to pause at least some of their political donations after a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol and after 147 Republicans in the House and Senate voted to reject the electoral votes from certain states President Joe Biden won. The companies took such moves after coming under public pressure for their previous contributions to the 147. Continue reading.