Coca-Cola, which employed President-elect Joe Biden‘s niece Missy Owens until 2020, is donating $110,000 to the former vice president’s inaugural committee despite plans to pause future political contributions.
The company, which contributed more than $335,000 to President Trump’s 2017 inauguration and $430,000 to former President Obama’s 2013 inauguration, told FOX Business in a statement that it is suspending all future political donations from its PAC.
“We are proud to continue our support for the inauguration of our President, as we have done in a bi-partisan manner since the 1890s,” Coca-Cola said. “The coronavirus pandemic makes this a very different year for inaugural activities, and we have adjusted our contribution accordingly.”
Coca-Cola said in an earlier statement that events that took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6 “will long be remembered and will factor into our future contribution decisions,” as The New York Times first reported.
The decision from Coca-Cola and a number of other large corporations to suspend political donations came after some pro-Trump demonstrators rallying against certifying the results of the 2020 election stormed the Capitol. House Democrats have introduced an article of impeachment against Trump, claiming the president incited an “insurrection.”
The rampage left five people dead, and more than 80 rioters have been arrested for breaching the Capitol.
The company added that its $110,000 donation to the 59th inaugural committee still stands. The contribution includes $50,000 in cash to “help support the committee’s national day-of-service volunteer effort being planned for Martin Luther King Day” and $60,000 worth of beverages.
Biden’s niece served as Coca-Cola’s director of federal and diplomatic government relations until last year.
Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/coca-cola-biden-inauguration-donation
