Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is walking back his warning to corporations to âstay out of politics.â
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, McConnell said, âI didnât say that very artfully yesterday. Theyâre certainly entitled to be involved in politics. They are.â
âMy principal complaint is they didnât read the darn bill. The president of the United States called the bill a Jim Crow exercise to suppress voter turnout â presumably based on race because thatâs what the Jim Crow allegation is,â he continued.
He sarcastically added, âThat bastion of conservatism The Washington Post gave the president four Pinocchios for lying about it.â
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https://twitter.com/AndrewSolender/status/1379850427575963652
On Tuesday, the Kentucky lawmaker claimed it is âstupidâ that corporate executives are speaking out to criticize a controversial new voting law in Georgia.
âSo my warning, if you will, to corporate America is to stay out of politics,â he said, adding, âItâs not what youâre designed for. And donât be intimidated by the left into taking up causes that put you right in the middle of one of Americaâs greatest political debates.â
âYou know, Republicans drink Coca-Cola, too. And we fly. And we like baseball. This is a pretty competitive political environment in America, as I just pointed out a 50-50 Senate. If I were running a major corporation, Iâd stay out of politics.â
He clarified that he was ânot talking about political contributions.â
âMost of them contribute to both sides. They have political action committees, thatâs fine. Itâs legal, itâs appropriate, I support that. Iâm talking about taking a position on a highly incendiary issue like this and punishing a community or a state, because you donât like a particular law that passed. I just think itâs stupid,â he said.
Biden has described the bill as âJim Crow in the 21st Centuryâ and claimed that it would limit voting hours to âfive oâclock when working people are just getting off work.â
However, The Washington Postâs fact-checker gave the president four âPinocchiosâ for âfalselyâ alleging that the bill limits voting hours.
