The Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce PAC released a statement Thursday condemning the mostly peaceful protests at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on January 6, promising to re-evaluate the involvement of its current endorsees, along with potential future endorsees.
“Members of the business community in Michigan and nationally are carefully evaluating their political engagement in light of the Jan. 6 events at the U.S. Capitol,” the Chamber said. “Entities ranging from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to Fortune 500 firms based in Michigan have expressed dismay not just at what happened inside the Capitol, but also the actions of many that enabled this unprecedented act of sedition.”
“The Detroit Regional Chamber Political Action Committee (PAC) joins these leading business interests in the grave concern that too many of our elected leaders not only did too little to thwart the violence at the Capitol but propagated the falsehood that the 2020 election was not valid or somehow stolen,” the statement continued.
The Chamber, which is a bipartisan organization, also reaffirmed its commitment to the U.S. Constitution and federalism, “including the right of states to conduct and certify their elections,” before stating its plans.
“Therefore, while the Chamber remains committed to its long tradition of bipartisan political endorsements, going forward in our process, we will weigh heavily any candidate’s past or future actions that do not align with these principles,” the statement said.
Two Republican endorsees about whom the Chamber will not have to worry are Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI-03) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI-06). Both voted to impeach former President Donald J. Trump for allegedly “inciting an insurrection” at the Capitol.
“I was in the House chamber when it was being attacked a week ago today. That was a moment that called for leadership. I was hoping to see the President rapidly try to de-escalate, try to denounce, try to stop the violence from occurring, and he abandoned his post,” Meijer (R-MI-03) told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, explaining his vote.
Upton accused Trump of trying to halt the transfer of power to President Joe Biden.
“The Congress must hold President Trump to account and send a clear message that our country cannot and will not tolerate any effort by any President to impede the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next. Thus, I will vote to impeach,” he said in a statement.
First reported by The Michigan Star, Meijer, just days after being sworn in himself, drew a primary challenger almost immediately after voting for Trump’s impeachment.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Michigan Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
