AT&T vs. CREDO: Claims and Sources

• AT&T tops the list of corporate donors to politicians supporting voter suppression bills scine 2015.

Source: https://mkus3lurbh3lbztg254fzode-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Corporate-Sponsors-of-Voter-Suppression.pdf

• Despite publicly pedging to discontinue donations to Republican lawmakers who objected to certifying President Biden’s electoral college victory, ATE&T was back at it a month later.

Source: https://blog.credo.com/2021/01/att-enabled-donald-trumps-deadly-riot-on-the-u-s-capitol/

• AT&T donated $2.7 million to 193 anti-LGBTQ politicians, including Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn

AT&T can rainbow-stripe its logo for Pride Month, wave the rainbow flag and claim it supports the LGBTQ community, but none of those things can make up for the fact that AT&T is directly funding politicians who are fighting against equality and LGBTQ rights.

While AT&T has long touted its inclusive employee policies and support of LGBTQ causes, in 2017 and 2018, AT&T donated a total of $2.755 million to 193 anti-LGBTQ politicians.

Source: https://blog.credo.com/2020/08/att-supports-right-wing-causes-here-are-10-reasons-to-drop-them-right-now/

• AT&T donated $2 million to Donald Trump’s inaugural committee in 2017

Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee raised a lot of money. A record-setting $107 million, in fact. The more than $2 million that AT&T funneled to Trump stood above the pack: AT&T was the largest corporate donor to the inauguration, and second only to notorious right-wing funder Sheldon Adelson.

In late 2018, it was reported that federal prosecutors were investigating the sources of Trump’s inauguration slush fund to determine if any donors illegally “[gave] money in exchange for political favors.” At the time, AT&T had been seeking approval for a $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner.

Source: https://blog.credo.com/2020/08/att-supports-right-wing-causes-here-are-10-reasons-to-drop-them-right-now/

• AT&T contributed to anti-LGBTQ politicians, including Marsha Blackburn and Ted Cruz

Source: https://www.glaad.org/blog/tennessee-congresswoman-marsha-blackburns-anti-lgbtq-activist-history, https://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/ted-cruz-gay-marriage-ruling-reaction-npr-interview-119559

• AT&T paid Michael Cohen, convicted former lawyer for Donald Trump, $600,000 to advise on various telecommunications matters, even though Cohen seemingly is not an industry expert

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-cohen-att_n_5af52bdbe4b032b10bf92365

• AT&T has opposed net neutrality when it counts

Source:https://bgr.com/2018/02/23/att-net-neutrality-wireless-plans-ugh/

• AT&T profited from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which detained immigrant children in squalid conditions

Source: https://readsludge.com/2019/06/27/who-is-making-money-from-cbp-in-your-state/

• AT&T has helped the NSA spy on internet traffic

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/us/politics/att-helped-nsa-spy-on-an-array-of-internet-traffic.html

• In Nov 2017, AT&T promised 7,000 new jobs to receive a tax break in the billions of dollars. It cut 23,000 jobs instead.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/05/att-promised-7000-new-jobs-to-get-tax-break-it-cut-23000-jobs-instead/