Japanese automaker Toyota has defended its donations to Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.
On Sunday, Axios reported the company donated $55,000 to 37 Republican lawmakers who objected to certifying the 2020 election results in January. That is the most money to donated so far this year to lawmakers who objected to November 2020’s election result.
Toyota donated almost double the amount of any other company to nearly five times as many candidates than the second company, Cubic Corporation, which made eight donations, according to data from watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington that was shared with Axios.
The company defended its donations to Axios in a statement saying, “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,” the statement said.
In January, several companies publicly declared that they would not donate to lawmakers who objected to the certification of the election. Some have kept their promise while others like Cigna and AT&T have not, according to the Los Angeles Times.