In the days after the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, some of the world’s largest defense firms announced they would pause and reevaluate their political donations. The followed through, briefly, but by April 2021, the top five defense contractors resumed donations to both Democrats and the 147 Republicans who voted against election certification.

"This is business as usual," says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in the Maxwell-in-Washington program and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. "That one purchases influence is a time-tested way to generate business for a military-industrial company. It’s an open secret. It’s a form of corruption, essentially. It’s a well-known problem without a solution."

Read more in the Federal Times article, "Defense contractors donate millions to election deniers."