“We understand that the PAC decision to support select Members of Congress who contested the results troubled some stakeholders.”

Toyota issued this statement on PAC contributions hours after the Lincoln Project threw their hat in the ring.

 — @ProjectLincoln

The Lincoln Project are agitators with a whole lotta cash. Their abrasive style earned them notoriety during the 2020 Elections and they don’t seem to be going away any time soon.

Since the story broke on June 26, it was clear that Toyota’s comms team dropped the ball. Toyota did not do anything unusual or wrong, except that they failed to read the room.

While the recent announcement tries to fix a problem of their own making, it may not be so easy. I suspect Toyota will be bullied into contributing to causes that they don’t necessarily care for, just to buy the silence of groups like Citizens for Ethics and The Lincoln Project.

 — @CREWcrew

Groups are out for blood and it is in my estimation that this will very likely devolve “extortion” so Toyota can right the wrong. Again, this entire scenario was completely unnecessary and I wonder how much it has cost Toyota, but their walk-back indicates it is serious enough.

We will continue to track it in the background, but I think the crisis has been averted, but like a benign tumor, you don’t want to ignore it in your annual check-up.

Originally published at https://www.getrevue.co on July 14, 2021.