Accountable.US: “Actions speak louder than words, and Kroger’s decision to elevate a top Trump official complicit in the former president’s anti-democratic and inhumane agenda speaks volumes” 

SEE KROGER BILLBOARD HERE

Washington, D.C. — On the heels of grocery giant Kroger announcing the hiring of Elaine Chao, the scandal-clad former Trump administration official that served as secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT), government watchdog Accountable.US launched a mobile billboard in Cincinnati, OH calling out the organization for contradicting their stated values.

“If Kroger was interested in living up to its values, it wouldn’t associate with Elaine Chao, let alone select her to serve on its board,” said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US. “It seems clear that honesty, integrity, respect, diversity, safety, and inclusion are simply buzzwords to Kroger, which has a history of exploiting workers and the community it claims to serve for profit. Actions speak louder than words, and Kroger’s decision to elevate a top Trump official complicit in the former president’s anti-democratic and inhumane agenda speaks volumes.” 

The billboard will be displayed through the weekend in Cincinnati, OH near Kroger headquarters. SEE Accountable.US billboard targeting KROGER HERE. At issue: Kroger’s words do not match their actions legitimizing a former official who stood by twice-impeached former president Trump through some of the darkest days in our country’s history. Kroger, which recently tapped scandal-plagued Chao for its board of directors, claims to promote honesty, integrity, respect, diversity, safety, and inclusion on its website

BACKGROUND: 

  • Elaine Chao was one of the former president’s worst enablers, and was involved in a series of ethics controversies throughout her time leading the Transportation Department. Chao failed to condemn the former president for his comments after Charlottesville, standing next to the former President as he claimed there were “very fine people on both sides” after white supremacists had gathered and attacked racial justice advocates, resulting in the death of an innocent protester.
     
  • An inspector general’s report found Chao sought to use her office to help family members in the shipping business, and repeatedly used her position in the DOT to benefit her husband’s, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s political career, including giving the state of Kentucky preferential treatment for road upgrades and other projects.

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