The Bulwark: “Some 35 major corporations have honored their January promises to cut off financial support to the 147 Republican certification objectors.”

“But not every company has behaved so honorably… Six of the household names are General Motors, Ford, UPS, Aflac, and Abbott and Merck, the mega-pharmaceutical companies. Each of the six said in January that they would suspend their political giving to Republican officials who voted not to certify the 2020 presidential election.”

Daily Beast: “One hundred and fifty-five Democratic candidates for Congress took the pledge in 2020, vowing that they would not accept any corporate PAC money. But there’s a reason so many were willing to take that stand: because it’s largely meaningless.”

“Take Rep. Cindy Axne (D-IA), for example. You may think pledging to not accept corporate PAC money means Axne hasn’t taken a dime from businesses or special interests, but that would be far from correct. For Axne, who sits on the Financial Services Committee and the Agriculture panel, the money still found a way into her campaign coffers. The second-term lawmaker has actually received tens of thousands of dollars from corporate executives—and hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors in the financial world.”

“A joint fundraising committee controlled by Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) disclosed a donation of $7,900 earlier this year,” Roll Call reports.

“The only problem: The reported donor had been dead for seven months.”

“Wealthy congressional candidates are pouring millions into their own campaigns but failing to file mandatory disclosure forms, keeping voters in the dark about how they got their cash,” Axios reports.

“Unlike regular donors, candidates can give unlimited sums to their campaigns. Watchdogs say knowing the source is crucial to vetting potential conflicts of interest and ensuring hidden supporters won’t unduly influence them in office.”

“Ignoring the law also speaks to a lack of fear of the congressional ethics officials charged with enforcing transparency requirements.”

A political action committee for Fox News’ parent company donated money to moderate Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) reelection campaign, CNBC reports.

“Four state attorneys general have begun looking into the online fund-raising practices of both political parties, specifically seeking information about the use of prechecked boxes to enroll contributors in recurring donation programs that spurred a wave of fraud complaints and demands for refunds last year,” the New York Times reports.

“The attorneys general for New York, Minnesota, Maryland and Connecticut have sent letters to WinRed, which processes online donations for Republicans, and ActBlue, its Democratic counterpart, asking for documents related to the practices.”

Associated Press: “Dozens of big companies, citing their commitment to democracy, pledged to avoid donating money to the 147 lawmakers who objected to Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s victory… It was a striking gesture by some of the most familiar names in business but, as it turns out, it was largely an empty one.”

“When it comes to seeking political influence through corporate giving, business as usual is back, if it ever left… The companies contend that donating directly to a candidate is not the same as giving to a PAC that supports them. Given America’s porous campaign finance laws, that’s a distinction without a difference to campaign finance experts. … Walmart’s moral stand lasted three months.”

“Nearly three-dozen corporate PACs have donated at least $5,000 to Republicans who objected to certifying the 2020 election, yet Toyota leads by a substantial margin,” Axios reports.

Replied Toyota in a statement: “We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification.”

New York Times: “Digital operatives in both parties deploy an array of manipulative tactics that can deceive donors of all age groups: faux bill notices and official-looking correspondence; bogus offers to match donations and hidden links to unsubscribe; and prechecked boxes that automatically repeat donations, which are widely seen as the most egregious scheme.”

“But some groups appear to specifically target older internet users, blasting out messages with subject lines like ‘Social Security’ that have particular resonance for older people, and spending disproportionately on ads for an older audience. In many cases, the most unscrupulous tactics of direct mail have simply been rebooted for the digital age — with ruthless new precision.”

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS) “is using campaign money to pay lawyers defending him in an investigation into whether he misspent campaign funds,” the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports.

Stat News: “Overall, the sector donated $14 million… Contributions were almost evenly split between major political parties.”

Daily Beast: “Months after the Federal Election Commission notified several GOP state parties of major gaps in their 2020 fundraising and spending reports, the committees are correcting their numbers—but they still can’t explain why the discrepancies occurred.”

“The issue has raised new questions about possible abuse of a longstanding campaign finance loophole that allows wealthy megadonors to cut massive checks.”

“James Murdoch, the son of billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, quietly invested $100 million into his nonprofit foundation, which then used a chunk of the money to fund political groups during the 2020 election cycle,” CNBC reports.

“It was previously known that James and Kathryn Murdoch backed President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. But it was unknown until now just how much they were spending behind the scenes to impact the election. Combined with the millions they gave to campaigns and political action committees, the $100 million donation would make the couple one of the top donors in the last election cycle.”

JPMorgan Chase will resume making political donations to U.S. lawmakers but will not give to Republican members of Congress who voted to overturn President Joe Biden’s election victory, Reuters reports.

“The FBI is investigating Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in connection with campaign fundraising activity involving his former business,” the Washington Post reports.

“FBI agents in recent weeks interviewed current and former employees of DeJoy and the business, asking questions about political contributions and company activities… Prosecutors also issued a subpoena to DeJoy himself for information.”