Report: Companies donated $170M to GOP election objectors

WASHINGTON (AP) — Corporations and industry groups have donated at least $170 million in recent years to Republicans who rejected President-elect Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump, according to a new report by a government watchdog group.

The report by Public Citizen examines corporate and trade association contributions made since the 2016 election cycle to the 147 members of Congress who, at Trump's behest, last week objected to the certification of November’s election.

Giving by such trade groups and corporate PACs has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the deadly insurrection by Trump supporters, who stormed the Capitol to stop the vote. Many companies have since said they will avoid making donations to members of the House and Senate who voted to overturn Biden's win.

Other companies have temporarily postponed political giving to both political parties.

The amount of giving by corporate PACs and trade groups to individual candidates is limited to $5,000 per candidate each year, thus making up a small portion of each candidate's overall cash haul. But data reviewed by Public Citizen, which was provided to The Associated Press before the report's release later Wednesday, shows that when looked at more broadly, corporate giving still accounts for a significant stream of campaign cash, particularly to the Republicans in the House.

“If (corporations and industry groups) decided to actually get together and stop contributing to these people, it will have an effect,” said Mike Tanglis, Public Citizen's research director, who co-authored the report. Tanglis said, however, that he's “very skeptical that they will stop contributing to these people forever.”

The top corporate and industry givers to the 147 Republicans detailed in the report include:

— $2 million by the National...