Anheuser-Busch has taken its damage-control campaign to Capitol Hill, and one conservative group is warning the GOP not to take the bait.
The beer giant, which is owned by Belgium-based brewing conglomerate InBev, has hired a lobbying team of former Republican Senate staffers to woo lawmakers as it seeks to repair Bud Light’s image among conservatives following backlash over the brand’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Disclosures show weeks ago A-B secured lobbying firm Origin Advocacy, LLC, to represent the company on “general policy regarding the alcohol-beverage industry.” The lobbyists handling the account are Origin founder Sean McClean and Origin partner Emily Lynch, both veteran GOP aides.
McClean is a former legislative director for Sen. Ted Cruz (R, Texas) and White house liaison for the Commerce Department under President Trump, and was previously legislative director to now-Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R, Tenn.) when she served in the House.
Lynch was previously a legislative assistant to former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R, N.H.), served in the same role for Rep. Virginia Foxx (R, N.C.), and was also previously an executive assistant to the Republican staff director for the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee.
But not all conservatives are happy with A-B’s approach as it attempts to tamp down Bud Light-backlash on the hill.
FOX Business obtained a letter sent to congressional aides by conservative group American Accountability Foundation (AAF), slamming Origin and urging the staffers to reject the lobbyist group and A-B.
AAF president Tom Jones wrote in the letter that McClean and Lynch are “making the rounds on the Hill trying to red-wash Bud Light’s disastrous decision to partner with a man pretending to be a woman and tell you the company really does respect conservative values.”
“They’re even making the shamefully offensive equivalency argument that their transgender activist beer can is just like their beer can honoring WWII vets,” Jones continued. “They’re telling offices, ‘Anheuser-Busch sometimes creates commemorative cans. … Honor Flight can [for] example.’ If partnering with a trans activist wasn’t shameful enough equating Dylan Mulvaney to a World War II hero is really beyond the pale.”
When reached for reaction, AAF said in a statement, “If Bud Light wants to regain the trust of conservative customers, they should apologize for insulting their values by embracing the woke left’s radical gender agenda instead of wasting their money on lobbyists. Bud Light sided with the Left against the average American and no amount of D.C. lobbyists in fancy suits will make them forget that.”
I took the time and searched “Board of Directors AB” and voila – here is the link. The age and photographs says it all. Not one of them on the USA team is over 45-50. They don’t understand the Working Men’s Handshake is a Contract, moral code, fortitude, ethics & values. They were pretty much all raise in the techno world and to have one as the VP Chief People Officer (says it all doesn’t it?) – They are PROGRESSIVES. The CEO took the position in 2013, after he was a Marine and worked for the CIA. Just reading about each of them explains that NONE of them knows anything about the Ten Commandment, the 7 Deadly Sins, weren’t taught Respect for your Elders, weren’t raise in a God-fearing household that ran that a corporation w/a chain of command and you kind of feared the punishment your parents would hand out if you misbehaved in school (as most of us STILL have it- my Dad’s 89 and I still wouldn’t do anything to bring dishonor to him)….Their Board Positions & Titles reminds me so much of the “WOKE Twitter” tour we were given to the Wine Dispensing machine, the yoga room, the destress/meditation room, the chef prepared meals for staff, etc environment. They thought THAT was Conservative ~ I thought it was strange that not one Board Member didn’t stand up and condemn the Marketing Director and tell them the Dylan Mulvaney thing was CRAZY; surely before they redesigned the can and spent Billions on this new BOLD pathway – they would have run it past the Board Members and a handful of them would have played “Devils’ Advocate” but looking at the website answers so many of the – WTH? https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/leadership
Giggle! I’m a Fresca guy from now on!!!