A couple of weekends ago, Toyota became known as the latest company to be targeted for donating to a worthy cause: Republican “election objectors.” Considering that this is an American principle, you would think that Toyota would have the freedom as they so choose. However, they are now catching a lot of flack over this decision. Luckily, they are not taking the heat just lying down.

What Happened

Apparently, there was an article published last Sunday by Axios by reporter Lachlan Markay that chastised the Japanese automaker because of their decision to donate a large amount of money to Republican lawmakers who on the 6th of January objected to certifying the Electoral College victory of Joe Biden.

Markay’s article pointed out that there was some data compiled by liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) that discovered that Toyota had given over “$55,000 to 37 GOP objectors this year” and they outspent other donors by a “wide margin.”

“Toyota gave more than twice as much — and to nearly five times as many members of Congress — as the No. 2 company on the list,” Markay noted.

He was also keen to point out that the donations aided lawmakers who remain “deeply enmeshed in the pro-Trump conspiracy theories that fueled the Capitol attack.”

“Toyota was the leading member of this list, giving twice as much, and they also gave nearly five times as much to members of Congress as the second-rated company on the list,” Markay noted. Markay was also quick to point out that these donations had aided lawmakers that wanted to remain “deeply enmeshed in these pro-Trump conspiracy theories that will fuel to the fire of that Capitol attack.”

Of course, Markay was attempting to represent his article as simply a mere listing of some basic facts, but in reality it was more a smear campaign against companies who had dared to donate money to conservative legislators.

The intention of CREW when they published the data was clear: they were simply aiming to label the entire Republican party as a “Sedition Caucus” and they wanted to characterize the corporate donors to the GOP as entities that were “sacrificing the democratic government for influence and access.”

That is one of the main reasons why Toyota bluntly tweeted, “Don’t buy a Toyota.” Sure enough, CREW’s boycott message was immediately received and regurgitated by the cancel mob online.

What else?

Despite all of it, Toyota has responded well to the hit piece. They have chosen to stand their ground, not caving to the pressure – at least for the time being.

The company replied to Axios’ request for comment, plainly stating that they “do not believe it is appropriate to judge Congresspersons based solely on the votes they represent in the electoral college.”

Either way, the automaker noted that there were indeed times that they decided not to donate to certain lawmakers because they were concerned that they would undermine the legitimacy of elections. However, Toyota did not specify which lawmakers they were referring to.

“Based on our thorough review, there have definitely been times where we have decided against giving donations to some members who, through their statements and actions, have undermined the legitimacy of our elections and institutions,” the automaker stated.

What Else?

Curiously, Axios failed to post the full statement from Toyota including important context that frames the purpose of Toyota and their unique perspective in donating to politicians. Toyota did respond to the inquiry, sending the noted publication The Blaze a copy of their statement, posted below in full:

“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,” the automaker stated.

Anything else?
Curiously, Axios failed to post Toyota’s full statement in its coverage, including important context that frames the company’s purpose and perspective in donating to politicians.

In response to an inquiry, a Toyota spokesperson sent TheBlaze a copy of the statement, which is posted below, in full:

“Toyota’s PAC, by design, is bipartisan in nature and we contribute equally to the Democratic and Republican parties. Toyota supports candidates based on their position on issues that are important to the auto industry and the company. We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification. 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.”

Surprise, surprise, I guess Toyota is an auto company after all, so they are going to support candidates that advance their own personal objectives!

Tags: News, In The News, Current News, Toyota, Republican Party
Keyword: Toyota
Meta Description: Apparently, Toyota is showing America how its done when they want to know how to properly dispose of cancel culture!