Goya’s board silences CEO Robert Unanue after telling Fox News election rigged

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The board of directors of the private Latin American food company voted to censor Unanue, following his latest controversial remarks which questioned the legitimacy of the November election, according to a person familiar with the actions of the board. , who spoke to CNN on the condition that their name was not to be used.

Unanue will no longer be allowed to speak to the media without permission from the board of directors, the source said. The decision was first reported by the New York Post on Monday evening.

The source said it was an “end point” on Unanue speaking to the press, not only about politics, but also about the company itself.

A majority of Goya shareholders are in favor of the complete removal of Unanue, but have been prevented from doing so by the dynamics of the family business, according to the source.

“The company has never been political or politicized,” the source said. “He went from being a bad CEO to a CEO, which put the future of the company at risk and endangered the lives of some shareholders,” the source said with reference to some members of the Unanue family who allegedly received threats due to CEO comments.

“His statements are insulting and dangerous,” said the source.

Unanue spoke to the New York Post after the council’s action, but did not directly discuss his censorship or the ban on speaking to the media. He confirmed that he would no longer speak publicly about politics or religion.

“Regardless, I made the decision to lower the temperature and not talk about politics and religion anymore,” he told The Post. “I know this is important because of the diversity of perspectives of the company and our market.”

A story of controversy

On the opening day, shortly after President Trump gave his farewell speeches, Unanue appeared on Fox Business’s morning show and told presenter Maria Bartiromo a “war was coming.” and that the election of President Joe Biden was “unverified”.

“They did what they set out to do, which was to oust President Trump,” he said. “I think this is mission accomplished, by the unions, the partnership, the social media conglomerate, the big tech, the big media and the big government. … There is a war ahead, now that the president leaves today, they after the United States, the working class. “

Those comments didn’t garner as much attention as his July remarks praising President Trump, likely because of all the other news surrounding the nomination. But it was apparently enough for Goya’s board to act. Many board members were already upset by Unanue’s previous public comments on the policy and performance of the company under his leadership, according to the source who spoke to CNN.

Unanue sparked controversy in July when, appearing at a White House event, he said, “We are all truly blessed … to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder. We have an amazing builder, and we pray. We pray for our leadership, our president. “

Unanue and Goya said at the time that he was in the White House to announce the donation of millions of cans of Goya products to food banks.

Backlash

But her praise of Trump sparked a backlash from a number of prominent Hispanic politicians, including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Obama cabinet member Julian Castro. Other people on social media called for a boycott.

This in turn prompted a so-called “buy-cott” from Trump supporters, including Ivanka Trump, who urged the president’s supporters to buy Goya products.

In December, Unanue told a conservative radio host that Ocasio-Cortez was the company’s “employee of the month”, saying the MP’s July tweets had actually increased sales. But the CNN source disputed that the controversy had been good for the company, and Goya’s sales figures are not being made public.

“It’s hard to say really [the controversy hurt sales] but the sales growth is lower than it was before he spoke at the Rose Garden, ”the source said.

Goya did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment. The company, founded in 1936 by Don Prudencio Unanue and his wife, Carolina, now has more than 4,000 employees at 26 locations in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Spain, according to the company’s website.

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