PAC$

Pittsburgh PA

Description

Where is PAC $ coming from By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College and Dennis Aftergut, former federal prosecutor: “Don’t watch what they say; watch where they spend.” That variation on a popular adage — “I no longer listen to what they say; I watch what they do” — applies aptly to big corporate PACs that have shamefully resumed their political spending habits after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. That’s according to a new report by the Washington-based ethics watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. According to the study, in the few months since the Capitol riot, 170 business PACs have contributed more than $2.6 million to campaigns and PACs associated with the 147 senators and Congress members who objected to certifying the election. Citizens can and should hold those companies to account. Citizens can and should hold those companies to account, particularly those that publicly committed to pause or stop contributing to lawmakers whose actions supported “the Big Lie.” Recall the righteous pro-democracy statements made in January from household brands like AT&T. Its PAC’s employees voted to “suspend contributions to members of Congress who voted to object to the certification of Electoral College votes [on Jan. 6].” Since then, AT&T’s PAC has resumed donating to the House Conservatives Fund, Republican Main Street Partnership PAC and the Tuesday Group PAC, the Dallas Morning News reported. The House Conservatives Fund is headed by Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., and includes Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, as a member; both voted not to certify the Electoral College results.