Topline
Google will not make any contributions from its political action committee during this election cycle to any member of Congress who earlier this month voted against certifying the results of the presidential election, the company said late on Monday, adding to the financial blowback against Republican lawmakers who attempted to overturn President Joe Biden’s electoral win.
Google had paused all political spending after the Capitol riots earlier in January.
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Key Facts
Google had paused all political contributions earlier this month after a group of Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification on Biden’s electoral win.
Following an internal review, the board of Google’s NetPAC decided that “it will not be making any contributions this cycle to any member of Congress who voted against certification,” the company said in a statement shared with various outlets.
Google hasn’t specified if “this cycle” refers to the current cycle ending with the 2022 midterms or the 2024 elections.
Eight Republican Senators and 139 House Republicans had opposed the certification of Biden’s electoral victory.
Google has not yet responded to Forbes’ request for comment
Key Background
In the wake of the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6, several major corporations began altering or reviewing the political donations made through their PACs. Companies like Amazon, AT&T, Comcast, Marriott and CitiBank are among the group of companies that are either reviewing their political spending or have suggested that they will cut funding for Republicans who backed Trump’s attempt to overturn the election. Reuters notes that some of these companies like AT&T and Comcast are among the biggest corporate donors in Washington.
Tangent
Trump’s political machinery and his businesses have also faced blowback after the Capitol riots as several major companies have distanced themselves from the former president. Earlier this month, Deutsche Bank — the largest lender to President Donald Trump’s businesses with around $340 million in outstanding loans — decided to stop doing business with the former president and his companies. Another close financial partner, Signature Bank, which once had Ivanka Trump serve as its board member, also reportedly cut ties with Trump. Additionally, Trump’s campaign’s funding and e-commerce operations — which may play a key role in the 2022 midterms — were also disrupted after being cut off by Stripe and Shopify for breaching the platforms’ policies on encouraging violence.
Further Reading
Google stops donations to U.S. Congress members who voted against election results (Reuters)
