Boeing PAC Resumes Giving to Republicans Who Opposed Certifying Election
Boeing PAC Resumes Giving to Republicans Who Opposed Certifying Election
(Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co.’s political action committee resumed giving to federal candidates and committees in May after a three-month pause, including donations to members who opposed certifying the 2020 election results for President Joe Biden.
The aerospace giant joined dozens of other companies on Jan. 13 in announcing that they would suspend and review their political action committee donations in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot by supporters of Donald Trump.
But beginning on May 3, Boeing gave out nearly $900,000 to political committees and candidates, according to its latest filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Among sitting lawmakers who received $5,000, the maximum amount a PAC can give per election, were House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Representative Vicky Hartzler of Missouri. Representative Jack Bergman, a Michigan Republican who also voted against certification, got $2,500.
All four were among the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying Electoral College votes for Biden in alignment with Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Five people were killed as a result of the mob storming the Capitol.
“We will continue to carefully evaluate our giving to ensure that we support candidates who support our business and policy priorities,” said Boeing spokeswoman Chris Singley. She said the company also takes into account the interests of its customers, its diverse workforce and the communities in which it operates when considering its political contributions.
Boeing’s PAC also gave $25,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association. An affiliate of the group, the Rule of Law Defense Fund, helped organize protests on Jan. 6 that preceded the riot, paying for robocalls urging Trump supporters to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally.
The PAC’s biggest donations went to the Republican Governors Association, which got $200,000, and the Senate and House arms of the Democratic and Republican parties, each of which got $105,000 -- the maximum that a PAC can give to a party committee per year.
Democratic politicians also received contributions. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn each got $5,000 for their primary campaigns, while Majority Leader Steny Hoyer got $5,000 for his primary race and $5,000 for the general election.
Boeing’s PAC and employees were the 77th largest source of campaign contributions in the 2020 election cycle according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which studies political donations. The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, was the biggest recipient with $790,000. Biden was second, receiving $726,148 followed by Trump, who got $602,962.
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