Some of the biggest technology and telecom companies jettisoned pledges made in the wake of the U.S. Capitol assault and gave money to reelect lawmakers who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory, according to filings reviewed by Bloomberg News.
The companies expressed horror after supporters of then-President Donald Trump went on a rampage Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to halt Biden’s certification. Citing the need to defend democracy, the firms said they would suspend campaign donations to the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying the presidential election results that day.
In some cases those suspensions only lasted a few months, according to the Bloomberg News review of hundreds of campaign finance disclosures covering the period from March 2021 to last month. Major companies including AT&T Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Intel Corp. quietly reopened the taps in time to help the GOP win control of the House of Representatives.
Other industries also resumed giving when it became clear Republicans were poised to retake the House — a tacit acknowledgment that election denial is still a powerful force in the party. But the Bloomberg News review revealed that the technology and telecom sectors were especially generous, contributing $1.3 million in total. And they targeted lawmakers overseeing a potentially hostile congressional agenda likely to include hearings on the treatment of conservative viewpoints on social media, among other topics.
The biggest giver in the tech and telecom sectors was AT&T. The No. 3 wireless carrier vowed on Jan. 11, 2021, to “suspend contributions to members of Congress who voted to object to the certification of electoral college votes.”
In the months leading up to last month’s midterm elections, the company gave more than $608,900 to dozens of the objectors, documents show. That includes Representatives Burgess Owens of Utah, who said he has “no doubt” that Trump won; New York’s Nicole Malliotakis, who claimed the election was rife with “irregularities and alleged fraud”; and Florida’s Greg Steube, who called the election results “sketchy.”
AT&T declined to comment on its giving.
Jeremy Funk, spokesman for government watchdog group Accountable.US, said the companies are “choosing to chase after influence, even though a number of them have made bold declarations to their customer base and their shareholders and their own employees about how much they support democracy.”
Comcast Corp. said in a statement in January of last year that “the peaceful transition of power is a foundation of America’s democracy.” It vowed to “suspend all of our political contributions to those elected officials who voted against certification of the electoral college votes.”
By the end of the 2021, the Philadelphia-based cable giant had not only resumed giving to those candidates, but increased its contributions throughout 2022 to $365,500, becoming the second-biggest donor to election deniers among the tech and telecom firms.
Comcast didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Industries Facing Congressional Scrutiny
One reason for the reversals is the companies have a lot to gain or lose in a GOP-led House.
Republicans have already signaled they intend to target social media companies and their treatment of conservative viewpoints in the first 100 days of taking the majority next month. Other blockbuster issues the companies are nervously watching include net neutrality, antitrust and online privacy.
Conversely, telecom companies and semiconductor makers want more government aid for programs to boost broadband rollout and domestic manufacturing. That requires developing relationships with newly empowered Republicans.
Intel donated to 29 members who voted against Biden’s certification. The contributions came even as Intel Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger made appearances with Biden at the White House and was a guest at his State of the Union address.
Intel is set to receive a windfall of cash from the government after Biden signed legislation granting $53 billion to boost domestic semiconductor research and development.
Intel, in a statement, said it strives for a balance between donations to Democrats and Republicans “to build a bipartisan coalition of members of Congress who share our vision for strengthening America’s semiconductor industry, innovation capabilities and technological leadership.”
“Intel’s Political Action Committee continuously evaluates its contributions to ensure that they align with our values, policies and priorities. Over the past year, we have implemented additional due diligence processes as Intel resumed contributions that were previously halted,” the company said.
Key Lawmakers in Leadership Targeted
The companies aimed their donations strategically.
Among the big recipients: Kevin McCarthy of California, who is running to be speaker in January, and Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise, who will serve as House majority leader and sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Both men voted against certifying Biden’s victory.
McCarthy collected thousands of dollars from companies including Verizon Communications Inc., Dish Network Corp., Intel and Comcast.
Ohio Republican Representative Jim Jordan is expected to take the top spot on the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees tech issues including antitrust and patent reform. He voted against Biden’s certification but got money from Verizon and Oracle Corp., both of which had pledged to suspend those gifts and declined to comment on the reversals.
Comcast gave to several lawmakers who serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees telecom issues and will likely pursue a deregulatory agenda under GOP leadership. Among them: Indiana Representative Greg Pence and Pennsylvania Representative Mike Kelly, both of whom voted against certification of Biden’s win. Kelly filed lawsuits seeking to throw out all of Pennsylvania’s mail-in ballots.
Some Companies Gave Even While Sticking to Pledge
Other companies, including Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Meta Platforms Inc. and Microsoft Corp., stuck to pledges not to contribute to the 147, but backed other candidates who cast doubt on the election in court filings, debates, campaign rallies and interviews.
Google, Dell Technologies Inc., Qualcomm Inc., Microsoft and other tech companies showered $90,000 on Washington’s Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is set to become the chair of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, where she will help lead the GOP’s tech and telecom agenda. McMorris Rodgers didn’t vote against certifying Biden’s win, but she supported the Texas lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to intervene in the election.
Amazon contributed $135,500 to election deniers, including $17,500 to lawmakers who voted against certification.
Amazon said its pause lasted long enough. “When we announced shortly after the attack on the Capitol in January 2021 that we would suspend donations to members of Congress who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, it was not intended to be permanent,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “It’s been more than 21 months since that suspension and, like a number of companies, we’ve resumed giving to some members.”
Microsoft gave roughly $95,000 to lawmakers who expressed doubt about the 2020 election results, but didn’t vote against certification in accordance with its pledge. The company said it hasn’t decided how much longer to keep that ban in place.
“It’s a really good question — we’ll have to sit down and decide as we get to January,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said in an interview. “I hope that we’ll see politicians as they look to the future and future elections sign up for the proposition that if they come up short in the votes, they will concede in the election.”
