CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe is reporting that “100 top corporate leaders” held a conference call on Saturday to discuss how best to respond to “proposed changes in state voting laws:
CONFIRMED: First-of-its-kind call between more than 100 top corporate leaders on Saturday focused on how to respond to proposed changes in state voting laws. Participants included top leaders of airlines, media, law, investment.
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) April 11, 2021
Some of the companies represented on the call:
Those invited include leaders of @AmericanAir, @United, @AtlantaFalcons, @LeviStraussCo, @Walmart, @ViacomCBS, @ArielInvests, @LinkedIn, @Twitter, @AMCTheatres, among others, people familiar with the meeting tell @cbsnews.
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) April 11, 2021
“The gathering was an enthusiastic voluntary statement of defiance against threats of reprisals for exercising their patriotic voices,” according to one of the call’s organizers:
"The gathering was an enthusiastic voluntary statement of defiance against threats of reprisals for exercising their patriotic voices,” said @JeffSonnenfeld, a @YaleSOM management professor who helped organize the confab.
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) April 11, 2021
So, it’s fascism?
This is closer to the actual structure of fascism than anything Trump did but I’m guessing the people who were really upset by a military parade won’t be raising their voices about this. https://t.co/Fgc3MeN9CO
— Inez Stepman ⚪️?⚪️ (@InezFeltscher) April 11, 2021
Do these corporate leaders get how insane this sounds to conservatives right now?
Elite leaders meet on how to overturn voters’ desires. https://t.co/LqLg7UfNJf
— Mike Gonzalez (@Gundisalvus) April 11, 2021
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Good thing Congress bailed out a number of these companies and let’s not even start on the Trump corporate tax cuts:
The 'Woke Industrial Complex' should never, ever, have been bailed out nor, indeed, given any guarantees or indemnities. https://t.co/RfY3UhWAtm
— Gray Connolly (@GrayConnolly) April 11, 2021
Prediction: It will not end well:
This reads like a coordinated political attack and will not end well. Especially given how many the actions from these companies recently have clearly been driven by trying to appease dishonest activists. https://t.co/NS96377api
— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 11, 2021
Apparently, they also mocked Sen. Mitch McConnell for warning business leaders to “stay out of politics”:
ALSO NOTABLE: “There was humor and mockery" about @LeaderMcConnell'S calls for business leaders to "stay out of politics," a comment he later walked back.
But participants said, "It wasn’t a primary area of discussion" and that meeting was in the works before McConnell's words.
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) April 11, 2021
More here:
All info above confirms reporting that came first (by my skim of things) from @tcfrankel: https://t.co/mNqTxzYKFs
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) April 11, 2021
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