Republican Rep. Mike Johnson's new role as speaker of the House has put a spotlight on his extreme Christian views — and the donors who back him. According to journalist Judd Legum, some of the companies that have championed LGBTQ and reproductive rights have given money to Johnson — despite his history of oppositional rhetoric.
As Legum points out, Johnson has called same-sex relationships "inherently unnatural" and "harmful and costly to everyone." He has even expressed support for criminalizing homosexual behavior and has firmly opposed gay marriage. He has also declared that life begins at conception and has co-sponsored legislation that would ban abortion nationwide.
Johnson also promoted the false claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 election.
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But, "despite Johnson's radical views, several prominent corporations backed Johnson before his ascension to power," Legum writes.
Among those corporations was Walmart, which publicly presents itself as a champion of LGBTQ rights. Walmart moved to protect abortion access for its employees after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. The company even pledged to stop donating to lawmakers who voted against the certification of the 2020 election's results. But none of that has stopped Walmart from giving Johnson $9,000 since 2017.
Meta, formerly Facebook, has also proclaimed itself to be a champion of LGBTQ rights, said it would support its employees who needed an abortion after Roe vs. Wade was overturned and came out forcefully against the Jan. 6 Capitol riot -- but it has also donated money to Johnson's campaigns, totaling $4,000.
Other companies identified by Legum as donating to Johnson include Microsoft and AT&T.
Read the full report over at Popular Info.
