Ford Is Back To Business As Usual: Report
In the wake of the Capitol riot, which saw five people die, many companies, including Ford, declared that they would pause political donations. According to a new report, that is no longer the case for Ford, including donations to Republican lawmakers who sided with former President Donald Trump in his bid to overturn election results.
From Reuters:
In the letter seen by Reuters, Ford said its political action committee (PAC) was resuming donations to lawmakers effective April 1, and had opted against imposing a blanket ban on the Republican lawmakers who voted against certification.
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In the letter to company employees donating to its PAC, Chief Government Relations Officer Mitch Bainwol said Ford would strengthen principles it used for supporting candidates "by adding a new principle related to 'public service and integrity.'"
Bainwol added that the candidates Ford supports must "demonstrate public service consistent with building trust and acting with competence, integrity and serving others."
Now, this is really only notable because, among the Big Three, Ford is the only one who pretends to have principles, or "principles," insofar as a multinational corporation can have them. Here, for example, is a tweet from Ford CEO Jim Farley last November, spiking the football on GM:
I applaud GM for reversing course on this critical issue. I'm also proud that Bill Ford and @Ford stood tall for environmental progress from the start. Principle over politics. https://t.co/VM4Yl5loiJ
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) November 24, 2020
And here is Farley on January 6:
The Ford Motor Company condemns the violent and antidemocratic actions today. These were destructive acts against our shared principles and beliefs of a peaceful transition of power. We commit to working together, with respect and empathy, to uphold core American values...
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) January 7, 2021
And here is Farley on Wednesday condemning Georgia's racist new voting laws:
Ford CEO Jim Farley statement re GA voting law: Ford believes that equitable access to voting rights for all people – including our colleagues & dealers in all 50 states – is sacred....We support initiatives that promote equitable access."
— Ben Klayman (@benklayman) April 1, 2021
Not giving money to politicians that supported Trump's fabricated claims that the election was rigged — claims which led to the Capitol riot — would seem to me to be a baseline value for any company that truly believed in free and fair elections, but, you know, I'm just a guy. And Ford, in the end, is just a company:
Love our team! https://t.co/wboVPxwSYR
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) December 16, 2020
In a statement, Ford said:
Ford condemns the violent actions that happened in January, which contradict the ideals of a free and fair election and a peaceful transition of power. Moving forward each Ford PAC contribution decision will be vetted through enhanced criteria that acknowledge a candidate's ability to demonstrate public service consistent with building trust, acting with competence, integrity in serving others.