Toyota Remains Top Donor To Congress Members Who Voted Against Certifying 2020 Elections

Data collected by a left-leaning watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, finds that Toyota is among the biggest contributors to congress members who objected to certifying the 2020 election.

The automaker donated $55,000 in all to 37 members of Congress who have pushed conspiracy theories that led to a period of political uncertainty following the election and eventually to the attack on capitol hill.

That number puts Toyota ahead of historically Republican donors like Koch Industries, Walmart, and more, though they donated more to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee than Toyota.

Read Also: Toyota Says It Will Review Its Political Lobbying Activities Following Pushback From Investors

“We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification,” a Toyota spokesperson told Axios. “Based on our thorough review, we decided against giving to some members who, through their statements and actions, undermine the legitimacy of our elections and institutions.”

Axios found that in February (a month after the January 6 Capitol Insurrection) Toyota had donated to Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican who may have helped organize the “Stop the Steal” event.

The revelation follows a statement from Toyota in April, in which the company said it would “review public policy engagement activities through our company and industry associations to confirm they are consistent with the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.” The statement followed pressure from major investors to stop it from supporting a Trump administration push against environmental measures.

“This move must not be a PR exercise but instead signal a clear end to its role in negative climate lobbying which has given it a laggard status,” Jens Munch Holst, CEO of Danish pension fund AkademikerPension that is a Toyota investor, told Reuters at the time.

Toyota remains a vocal objector to a swift shift to electric vehicles, saying earlier this month that “it’s too early to concentrate on one option.” Instead, it wants to keep its options open with different technologies.