华盛顿——参议院共和党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)表示，称佐治亚州的新投票法为种族主义是一个“大谎言”，他警告大企业在大公司甚至职业棒球大联盟在巨大的公众压力下与该州保持距离后要“远离政治”。
麦康奈尔特别抨击了乔·拜登总统的批评，即佐治亚州的法案是限制性的，南方各州恢复了吉姆·克劳时代的限制，旨在限制美国黑人的投票机会。
“这根本不是真的，”麦康奈尔周一告诉记者。
在唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)谎称自己因欺诈而损失了200万美元后，这位共和党领袖选择投身投票政治，加大了全国范围内制定严格的新投票法的力度。选举敬拜登。新法律旨在减少早期投票和其他在大流行期间变得非常流行的选择。
更重要的是，麦康奈尔警告大企业不要参与进来，这表明共和党人面临的混乱局面，因为随着国会接受投票权、枪支暴力和共和党人抵制的其他问题，进步团体正聚焦于美国企业，要求它们不要辜负自己的品牌和价值观。
这位共和党领导人一直是最直言不讳地支持大笔资金在经济中的作用的人之一选举作为受宪法保护的言论自由的一种形式，促进未披露的资金自由流向竞选活动。
但在1月6日致命的国会大厦围攻之后，公司暂时停止了对许多共和党人的捐赠，当时这位前总统敦促类似的支持者为他而战，数百人冲进了国会大厦。
麦康奈尔星期一在肯塔基州说，说佐治亚州的法律使投票更加困难是“不准确的”。
麦康奈尔还批评拜登批评法律，称总统的说法被事实证明是错误的。
“总统一再声称，州一级关于投票程序的辩论比《吉姆·克罗》或《类固醇的吉姆·克罗》还要糟糕。”没有人真的相信这一点，”麦康奈尔在周一早些时候的一份长篇声明中说。
"没有人真的认为当前的这场争论与种族隔离的可怕的种族主义暴行有任何相似之处。"
新法律缩短了初选和大选之间的时间，这也缩小了提前投票的选择。然而新法律也扩大了周六的提前投票。
共和党人最初提议限制周末投票，当时许多黑人教堂进行“灵魂投票”的努力。但共和党人改变了自己的立场，该法案现在要求两个周六提前投票，此外，各县可以选择在周日开放投票。
该法律还规定，向在投票站排长队等候的选民分发食物、饮料或其他福利是轻罪。拜登批评了这一举措，但支持者表示，这是为了阻止外部团体影响选民。
麦康奈尔更尖锐地警告那些对公众压力做出回应的大企业，不要向宣传活动屈服。
“看到强大的美国机构不仅允许自己被欺负，而且自己也参与欺负，这令人惊讶，”他说。
上周，德尔塔、可口可乐和其他公司批评了佐治亚州的新法律，棒球宣布将全明星赛从该州移走。
麦康奈尔警告公司不要参与投票问题或其他即将在国会进行的关于环境政策或枪支暴力的辩论。
After new law, McConnell warns CEOs: 'Stay out of politics'
WASHINGTON -- Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says it's a “big lie” to call the new voting law in Georgia racist and he warned big business to “stay out of politics" after major corporations and even Major League Baseball distanced themselves from the state amid vast public pressure.
McConnell particularly slammed President Joe Biden's criticism that the Georgia bill was restrictive and a return to Jim Crow-era restrictions in the Southern states aimed limiting ballot access for Black Americans.
“It’s simply not true,” McConnell told reporters Monday.
The choice by the GOP leader to dive into voting politics lends heft to efforts nationwide to install strict new voting laws after Donald Trump's false claims of fraud that cost him theelectionto Biden. The new laws are aimed at scaling back early voting and other options that became wildly popular during the pandemic.
Even more, McConnell's warning to big business not to get involved shows the scramble Republicans face as progressive groups are shining a spotlight on corporate America to live up to its brands and values as Congress takes on voting rights, gun violence and other issues Republicans have resisted.
The Republican leader has been among the most outspoken champions of the role of big money inelections, promoting the free-flow of undisclosed dollars to campaigns as a form of Constitution-protected free speech.
But companies temporarily halted giving to many Republicans after the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol siege, when the former president urged like supporters to fight for him and hundreds stormed the Capitol.
Speaking in Kentucky, McConnell said Monday it's simply “not accurate” to say the Georgia law is making it more difficult to vote.
McConnell also criticized Biden for criticizing the law, saying the president's claims had been fact-checked as false.
"The President has claimed repeatedly that state-level debates over voting procedures are worse than Jim Crow or ‘Jim Crow on steroids.’ Nobody actually believes this," McConnell said in a lengthy statement earlier Monday.
“Nobody really thinks this current dispute comes anywhere near the horrific racist brutality of segregation.”
The new law shortens the time frame between primary and general elections, which also narrows the options for early voting. Yet the new law also expands early voting on Saturdays.
Republicans had initially proposed to limit weekend voting, a time when many Black churches conduct “souls to the polls” efforts. But Republicans reversed themselves, and the measure now requires two Saturdays of early voting, in addition to options for counties to open voting on Sundays.
The law also makes it a misdemeanor to hand out food, drink or other benefits to voters waiting in long lines at polling stations. Biden criticized that move, but advocates say it is meant to discourage outside groups from influencing voters.
McConnell more pointedly warned the big business that have been responding to public pressure on their corporate actions not to give in to the advocacy campaigns.
“It’s jaw-dropping to see powerful American institutions not just permit themselves to be bullied, but join in the bullying themselves," he said.
Last week, Delta, Coca-Cola and other companies spoke critically of the new law in Georgia and baseball announced it was moving the All-Star Game from the state.
McConnell warned companies not to get involved in voting issues or other upcoming debates on environmental policy or gun violence heading to Congress.
