McConnell: ‘Stupid’ for corporations to speak out on politics

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blasted U.S. corporations for getting involved in national political debates, saying such decisions are alienating to consumers.

The Associated Press reported that McConnell made the remarks at a press conference, referring to criticism of Georgia’s new voting law by Coca-Cola and other companies.

“It’s quite stupid to jump in the middle of a highly controversial issue,” McConnell told reporters.

“Republicans drink Coca-Cola too, and we fly and we like baseball,” he continued. “It’s irritating one hell of a lot of Republican fans.”

The Hill has reached out to Coca-Cola for comment.

McConnell’s remarks come in response to comments made by the CEO of Coca-Cola, James Quincey, on CNBC last week. Quincey said new legislation passed by Georgia barring people from providing food or drink to voters in line and cutting back on vote-by-mail was “unacceptable.”

“Let me be crystal clear and unequivocal, this legislation is unacceptable, it is a step backward and it does not promote principles we have stood for in Georgia, around broad access to voting, around voter convenience, about ensuring election integrity, and this is frankly just a step backwards,” Quincey said on Wednesday.

Other companies reacted to the Georgia news by moving business from the state, including Major League Baseball, which relocated the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Colorado.

“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said while announcing the decision.