Toyota Takes Bold Stand, Defends Donations to GOP Lawmakers Who Voted Against Election Certification
Over the past few years, major companies have somehow gotten the idea that they must prove how “woke” they are by only supporting priorities agreed upon by the left. This phenomenon was magnified by the Jan. 6 incursion at the Capitol building.
Since then, many leftists have attempted to use the events of that day to blackmail companies into halting donations to Republicans. While many companies have bowed to the mob, some have stood their ground.
As a general rule, the woke mob does not like it when anyone stands up for conservative values in the face of opposition. Now, the supposedly non-partisan group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has published a list of all the companies that donated to people CREW does not like.
Namely, CREW listed companies donating to politicians who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. This included “the campaigns and leadership PACs of the 147 members of Congress who voted not to certify the 2020 election results, as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC),” the group reported.
CREW divided donations into two categories: Money donated to the NRSC or the NRCC, and money donated directly to individual members of Congress or their political action committees.
In its introduction, CREW made it clear that it was targeting donors to individual members of Congress who took a stand against the election results
“In the wake of the Capitol insurrection on January 6th, nearly two hundred corporations and industry groups said they would pause or altogether stop making political contributions to the 147 members of Congress who voted against certifying the election and continue to propagate the Big Lie that led to the attack,” the report stated.
“In the months since, corporate and industry interests have had to choose whether to do their part to uphold our democracy by turning off the flow of corporate donations to these members, also known as the Sedition Caucus, or to continue to support them in order to seek political influence.”
In the second category, Toyota stood out as by far the highest donor. Since Jan. 6, the automaker has given a total of $55,000 since to either Congress members who voted not to certify the election or those members’ PACs. It gave to 37 total Congress members who met the criteria for being part of what CREW’s report called “the Sedition Caucus.”
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The next highest donor was Koch Industries, which gave $17,500 to these Congress members or their PACs. Koch led in donations to the Republican senatorial and congressional campaign committees, but donated to just seven of these Congress members individually.
Of course, the donations by Toyota were considered unacceptable by the left. CREW claimed the money was enabling lawmakers who “would undermine American democracy” and implicitly accused Toyota and the other companies of “sacrificing democratic government for access and influence.”
The group even went so far as to warn leftist lemmings on Twitter not to buy a Toyota.
Don’t buy a Toyota.
But they’re not the only corporate funders of the Sedition Caucus. Find out who else to boycott here: https://t.co/m8SuVAFrT5
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) June 28, 2021
The liberal-leaning news outlet Axios followed suit, claiming that these companies donated to “members of Congress deeply enmeshed in the pro-Trump conspiracy theories that fueled the Capitol attack.”
The implication that any Congress member who objected to the vote certification is somehow responsible for the Jan. 6 incursion is ridiculous. These objections are in fact allowed by the Constitution, and they very well may have merit, given the questionable circumstances surrounding the election in states like Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Instead of listening to the mob and apologizing for nothing, Toyota took a rare stand in a statement to Axios, which published only part of it.
TheBlaze published the statement in full:
“Toyota’s PAC, by design, is bipartisan in nature and we contribute equally to the Democratic and Republican parties,” it said. “Toyota supports candidates based on their position on issues that are important to the auto industry and the company.
“We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification. Based on our thorough review, we decided against giving to some members who, through their statements and actions, undermine the legitimacy of our elections and institutions.”
Toyota is absolutely correct. It is not fair to ostracize Congress members based on one decision, especially when that decision is allowed by the Constitution.
Furthermore, the company conducted its own review of politicians and then concluded which ones it still wished to donate to. This is a responsible thing to do, and Toyota was completely within its rights.
For some reason, leftists feel they have the right to tell private businesses what they can or cannot do with their money. This is simply not the case.
The United States is a free country that thrives on free-market capitalism. When a company makes money, it can donate it to whomever it chooses, providing no laws are being broken.
The policing by the woke mob will not end here. Once a company submits to the mob once, it will have to cater to every woke demand or risk facing progressive wrath once again at a later time.
The only way to stop the cancel crowd is to defy them, and that is exactly what Toyota has done.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
