Following news last week that one of the principal owners of the San Francisco Giants had donated campaign money to a Republican congresswoman from Colorado who has already proven herself to be a traitorous Trump-obsessed, conspiracy-peddling loon, there's been a reversal.
Yes, Charles Johnson and his wife each donated the maximum amount ($2,800 each) to Boebert's congressional campaign last September. Yes, Boebert was already known to be a "right-wing lunatic," as a Denver Post opinion piece called her in August, and she was already speaking "approvingly" of the batshit insane, convoluted conspiracy morass known as QAnon — because she is all about everything that aggrandizes Trump and denigrates evil liberals. And she was already the owner of a diner in Rifle, Colorado where all the servers open carry loaded guns.
Was Johnson, 88, unaware of Boebert's credentials besides the "R" next to her name on a ballot? Perhaps. But now, like so many Republicans, he's in retreat and issuing a statement disavowing Boebert and her ilk.
"As I stated last week, I am appalled by the violence that erupted at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and the destructive efforts to interrupt the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election," Johnson said in a Monday statement. "My wife Ann and I reject and denounce any individuals, candidates or elected officials who do not honor our constitution or who espouse or assist in violence of any kind."
Johnson further said he had contacted Boebert's congressional office to "request a full refund of our contribution." And, he says, "I will continue to follow the ongoing investigation closely and will request refunds from any other individuals who are found to have engaged in similar behavior. And I pledge to do my part in helping to heal our nation and restore peace and respect in our democratic system."
Jesus Christ. If so many Republicans — be they unhinged candidates, office-holders, or wealthy donors — had not been enabling Trump and his ABSOLUTELY OBVIOUS EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE THE REPUBLIC and all norms of political decency for the past four years, we wouldn't have seen what we saw at the Capitol two weeks ago. And people like Boebert and the equally unhinged Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) wouldn't have been elected to federal office.
Political expediency and turning a blind eye to crazy insane behavior have their price. Republicans need to pay it.
Nancy Pelosi's daughter, Christine Pelosi, announced last week that she would leave the board of the Giants Community Fund unless Johnson addressed the Boebert donation. Today, as the Sacramento Bee's Marcos Breton reports on Twitter, the younger Pelosi said, "We should all agree that violence has no place in public life. I appreciate the public pressure & concern that led to this. Thank you to Mr Johnson & the Giants for their commitment to justice & healing."
Top image: Congresswoman-elect Lauren Boebert (R-CO) arrives at the U.S. Capitol on November 13, 2020 in Washington, DC. Newly elected members of the House of Representatives are attending orientation at the U.S. Capitol today following the 2020 elections. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
