Walmart Pulls Support for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith Over Public-Hanging ‘Joke’
GRACE GETS RESULTS
And retail giant asks for refund of campaign donations, in tweet responding to actress Debra Messing.
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Retail titan Walmart withdrew its support for Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on Tuesday, after facing criticism from Will & Grace star Debra Messing for supporting the Republican lawmaker after her campaign-trail “joke” about attending a “public hanging.” On Monday, Messing tweeted an article from the Popular Information website that showed Walmart had donated $2,000 to Hyde-Smith in the leadup to her Nov. 27 runoff election against Democrat Mike Espy, and tagged the company in her post. On Tuesday, Walmart responded: “Hi Debra,” the post read. “Completely understand your concern. Sen. Hyde-Smith’s recent comments clearly do not reflect the values of our company and associates. As a result, we are withdrawing our support and requesting a refund of all campaign donations.” As NewsOne notes, Walmart is not alone: As public outcry has grown over Hyde-Smith’s comment during her race against Espy, who is black, companies including Google, Boston Scientific, and Union Pacific have all withdrawn their support and asked for a refund of their donations.
