Facebook asked Mississippi senator Cindy Hyde-Smith to return a $2,500 donation in response to a remark the GOP politician made about attending a “public hanging.”
“The recent public comments made by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith do not reflect the values or mission of Facebook,” the social media company said in a statement to The Washington Post.
“Our PAC contribution was made before these comments were made, and we have asked the Hyde-Smith campaign to return our campaign donation.”Facebook joins other companies — such as Google, AT&T, Walmart and Major League Baseball — who have asked Hyde-Smith to return their donations.
Hyde-Smith has been under scrutiny after making the comment during a small campaign event. Referring to a supporter, the candidate said “if he invited me to a public hanging, I would be on the front row.”
In recent polls the GOP incumbent leads her opponent — former Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy.