Federal filings reveal Charles Johnson, the San Francisco Giants' largest shareholder, donated the maximum amount allowed to a U.S. Senate candidate who has repeatedly, falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen, months after Johnson pledged to "help heal our nation and restore peace and respect in our democratic system."
Johnson, 88, donated $2,900 to Georgia Republican candidate Herschel Walker, the maximum allowed by an individual per election, on Sept. 8, according to the Federal Elections Commission. Walker, a former Heisman Trophy winner who played for former President Donald Trump's team in the now-defunct USFL, has frequently promoted conspiracies and false claims about last year’s election and the subsequent U.S. Capitol riot.
Nearly eight months prior to making the donation, and two weeks after the aforementioned insurrection, Johnson said in a statement released by the Giants he would "request refunds from any other individuals who are found to have engaged in similar behavior" as Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican who tweeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's location during the riot and repeatedly shared conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.
SFGATE, which first reported Johnson’s donation on Monday, reported in April that Johnson’s donation to Boebert was never refunded. The outlet also reported in July that Johnson donated to Boebert again through a joint fundraising committee.
The Giants did not respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment from Johnson on Monday, nor did the organization respond to questions about whether he still planned to ask Boebert's campaign for a refund and if he determined Walker was not "found to have engaged in similar behavior" as Boebert.
When reporters first asked the team to comment on Johnson's donations following the Jan. 6 insurrection, the team said employees and investors' political contributions were considered "personal in nature."
A day later, Johnson issued a statement saying he "watched in dismay" as the attack unfolded, claiming he “would never have imagined that any legitimate candidate would participate in undermining the core values of our great country” and he was not "aware that any candidate to whom I contributed was associated with QAnon," a conspiracy theory alleging a sect of Satanic pedophiles hold power in the highest levels of the federal government, Democratic party, media and other perceived opponents of former President Trump.
Three days after that statement, Johnson said he would ask for a refund from Boebert and other candidates. That refund is yet to be issued, and Johnson donated $500,000 in May to "Take Back the House 2022," a joint fundraising committee that lists Boebert, North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, among others.
Boebert and Cawthorn objected to the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, while Crenshaw was one of 126 Republican Members of Congress to sign a failed amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to allow a lawsuit intended to overturn the election results in a handful of key swing states.
ESPN and FiveThirtyEight reported last year that Johnson donated nearly $11 million to Republican politicians during the 2016, 2018 and 2020 election cycles. In 2018, Johnson requested refunds to donations he made to Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and the Black Americans for the President’s Agenda super PAC.
Johnson and his wife donated to Hyde-Smith days after she said she’d "be on the front row" if invited to a public hanging. He donated $1,000 to the super PAC, which ran a racist radio advertisement in Arkansas that claimed "white Democrats will be lynching Black folk again."
In the former case, Johnson said he "was not aware of the controversy surrounding Hyde-Smith." In the latter, Johnson said he "had absolutely no knowledge the donation would be used in this manner."
Related
