These 8 companies and trade groups are said to be among the top donors to 'Sedition Caucus' Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 election result

Top US companies and trade groups have donated more than $8.1 million to Republican lawmakers who voted against Joe Biden's certification as president, according to a report by watchdog Accountable.US.

After a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, many companies scrambled to cut ties with the 147 GOP lawmakers who voted against certifying the 2020 election result.

Dozens of companies including Walmart, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, and AT&T said they would stop donating to these 147 Republican lawmakers – a group dubbed the Sedition Caucus by political opponents. Others including Microsoft, Deloitte, and Goldman Sachs said they would pause all political donations.

But Accountable.US says donations to the GOP election objectors soon recovered.

"What makes no sense is why major corporations chose to reward the politicians that weaponized Donald Trump's Big Lie with millions of dollars in campaign cash," Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US, told Insider.

In the aftermath of the Capitol siege, "many big-name companies assured their customers and employees how much they value our democracy, but it's obvious they value something more – holding political influence over as many lawmakers as possible, even if those lawmakers voted to subvert our government," Herrig said.

Here are some of the top donors to the GOP election objectors, per Accountable.US's corporate donations tracker, which is based on Federal Election Commission (FEC) data on direct donations from Fortune 500 companies and 700 trade associations. The latest data reflects donations through November 2021.

Aviation giant Boeing is among the largest donors to the GOP election objectors, with its PAC handing out $190,000 since January 2021, according to the Accountable.US tracker.

Boeing said it paused political donations after the January 6 attack and condemned the "violence, lawlessness, and destruction that took place in the US Capitol."

Its donations include $10,000 to California Rep. Ken Calvert and $9,000 to Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers, according to Accountable.US.

Boeing declined to comment.

Logistics company UPS has donated $167,000 to GOP election objectors, per the Accountable.US tracker.

The donations, up to a maximum of $5,000 each, were made to 58 of them, the tracker shows.

UPS did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

Aerospace and defense group Lockheed Martin has donated $184,500 to 76 GOP election objectors, meaning it has donated to more than half of the group, the Accountable.US tracker shows.

Lockheed Martin's donations include $8,000 each to Calvert and to Utah Rep. Chris Stewart, according to the tracker.

Lockheed Martin did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

After the Capitol siege, a spokesperson for aerospace and defense company Raytheon told Defense News that it had paused all PAC contributions "to reflect on the current environment and determine appropriate next steps."

According to the Accountable.US tracker, Raytheon has since donated $186,000 to GOP election objectors, including $8,000 to Calvert and $6,500 to Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn.

Raytheon didn't respond to Insider's request for comment.

Defense contractor General Dynamics has split $173,500 among 53 of the GOP election objectors since the January 6 siege, including $10,000 each to Calvert and to Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, per Accountable.US.

General Dynamics declined to comment.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) is the top corporate donor on Accountable.US's tracker.

The ABA donated $203,000 to GOP election objectors between January 6 and November 2021, the tracker shows.

After the January 6 siege, the ABA said it had temporarily paused all political contributions, and a spokesperson told Insider in January 2021 that the group would consider the "troubling events" at the Capitol when making future donations.

"The violent riot on Capitol Hill was nothing short of an assault on our democracy," an ABA spokesperson said at the time. "We continue to call on all elected officials to do everything in their power to support a peaceful transition of power."

The group's PAC has since donated to 60 of the 147 election objectors, including $5,000 to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, according to the Accountable.US tracker.

The ABA did not respond to Insider's renewed request for comment.

The National Beer Wholesalers Association has donated to more than half of the 147 GOP election objectors since the January 6 siege, splitting $196,000 between 94 of them, per the Accountable.US tracker.

The association didn't respond to Insider's request for comment.

Banking group Regions Financial has donated $125,000 to 64 GOP election objectors since the Capitol siege, per Accountable.US.

A spokesperson for Regions Financial said: "Contributions from Regions' voluntary, employee-funded political action committee are evaluated on an individual basis. The PAC has long supported candidates from both major parties whose policy objectives align with our goal of providing exceptional financial services to the people, businesses, and communities we serve."

Other companies whose PACs have made substantial donations to the GOP election objectors include Chevron, Eli Lilly, FedEx, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Pfizer.

An Eli Lilly spokesperson said: "LillyPAC supports candidates across the political spectrum who understand the value of a vibrant pharmaceutical ecosystem to address unmet patient needs. Contributions from LillyPAC will continue to be in line with Lilly's purpose to make life better."

Chevron, FedEx, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Pfizer did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Accountable.US's tracker features dozens of other companies and trade associations that made single small contributions to individual objectors. These feed into the more than $8.1 million that corporate PACs have given to GOP election objectors since the Capitol siege.

Of all the 147 GOP election objectors, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is the top recipient of corporate funding since January 6, 2021, receiving $333,500 from the Fortune 500 companies and trade associations listed on Accountable.US's tracker.

McCarthy is followed by Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, with $250,000, and Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, with $207,752.

Accountable.US says companies and trade associations indirectly donated millions to GOP election objectors by funding multi-candidate committees like the National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee.

Accountable.US's Herrig told Insider: "Some things should be bigger than the bottom line, like a healthy democracy. These corporations should recognize that normalizing election conspiracy-mongers in Congress equates to normalizing their anti-democratic behavior.

"If they truly stand by their words in support of democracy, companies must prove it by changing their own hypocritical and complicit behavior."