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ICYMI – Intel Asks Hagedorn for Refund

07/23/2020

Representative Jim Hagedorn is no stranger to offensive and reprehensible remarks, which include calling a wounded veteran a “half-soldier” and writing “Leave it to liberals to ruin John Wayne’s wisdom of the only good Indian being a dead Indian” on his blog, Mr. Conservative.

Recently, Hagedorn took aim at Black Lives Matter using white nationalist talking points, declaring that the movement is “at war with our country, our beliefs and western culture.” These remarks clashed with the stated values of companies that have donated to Hagedorn’s campaign, which led Intel to demand the Hagedorn campaign to refund their previous $4,000 contribution.

“It’s no wonder that former supporters are fleeing Hagedorn’s campaign and demanding refunds after he used hateful rhetoric to slander people working towards racial justice and equality,” said Brian Evans, DFL Party Communications Director. “Instead of trying to unite Minnesotans around solving our shared problems, Congressman Hagedorn is hurling vile and inflammatory insults meant to divide communities for his political gain. Minnesotans should expect so much better from our political leaders, especially in times of crisis.”

In Case You Missed It

Popular Information: This Congressman is attacking Black Lives Matter with white nationalist talking points. These companies are supporting him.

By Judd Legum and Tesnim Zekeria. 7/23/20

[…]

Intel contributed $4000 to Hagedorn, but now is asking for a refund

“Black lives matter. Period. While racism can look very different around the world, one thing that does not look different is that racism of any kind will not be tolerated here at Intel or in our communities,” Intel CEO Bob Swan wrote in a company memo on May 31.

In 2019, urging the Supreme Court to find that LGBTQ people were protected under the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, Intel’s General Counsel, Steven Rogers, said that the company’s “support of LGBT+ employees remains unparalleled.” But, Rogers said, Intel’s commitment was not enough. Intel was advocating for “uniform application of this anti-discrimination principle across all 50 states.”

Intel also holds itself out as a champion for women, touting its belief in “women’s empowerment and gender equality.”

But Intel also donated $4000 to Hagedorn’s reelection campaign in late-2018. In light of Hagedorn’s comments, the company told Popular Information it is asking for its money back:

IntelPAC has not contributed to Rep. Hagedorn since 2018, and will not make future contributions to him. We regularly evaluate our political spending for effectiveness and alignment with Intel’s values as part of our contributions process. In 2019 we added reviews of public statements to our existing reviews of voting records to better assess alignment of contribution recipients with our values. Our prior contribution to Rep. Hagedorn would not have been approved under our current process, and we will ask for the contribution to be refunded.

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