Report: AT&T Among Corporations That Broke Pledge Not to Give to Groups Like RAGA That Incited Capitol Riot

Sludge: “The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) was named as a “coalition partner” on the website of the January 6 protest that preceded the riots at the Capitol Building and the group’s nonprofit arm helped to organize the event by sending robocalls the day before. Yet dozens of major American corporations, including some who paused their PACs after the events, have donated to the group in the months since”

Accountable.US: “In the days following the deadly insurrection, companies like AT&T spoke publicly about the urgency to protect our democracy while their political committees propped up the lawmakers who instigated it” 

Washington, D.C. — As Sludge reports, the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) has continued to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars from U.S. corporations, including $125,000 from AT&T, despite their public pledges to withhold support from those who helped incite the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.

“In the days following the deadly insurrection, companies like AT&T spoke publicly about the urgency to protect our democracy while their political committees propped up the lawmakers who instigated it,” said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US. “Five people died, hundreds were injured, and irreparable damage was caused to our democracy and the sanctity of our elections. But, for businesses that have quietly resumed their support, it was clearly more important to maintain political influence than to abide by their own stated values. They now owe their customers, shareholders and employees a serious explanation why democracy is a value they are willing to compromise on.” 

RAGA and its fundraising arm, the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF) were both key in encouraging attendance and inciting violence in the days leading up to the insurrection. Members of RAGA were part of the 17-state coalition that signed on to a bogus lawsuit filed by disgraced Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that aimed to overturn the results of a democratically-held election. RLDF paid for robocalls that encouraged attendees to “stop the steal” and “fight” against voter fraud. Both organizations bear responsibility for the events that took place on January 6, as do the organizations that fund them.

Read more from Sludge here. 

Accountable.US recently launched “Enemies of Progress,” an effort to hold conservative attorneys general accountable for preventing progress on some of the country’s toughest challenges, including protecting democracy and voting rights, expanding access to health care, rebuilding the economy in the wake of COVID-19, and cleaning up the mess made by the previous administration. 

In addition to identifying 13 initial Enemies of Progress, Accountable.US also released a report outlining the ties these attorneys general have to the special interests that fund their political campaigns, protecting giveaways for their rich and powerful donors at the expense of the American people.

Read more about Enemies of Progress here. 

# # #