Giants co-owner Charles Johnson donates to controversial US Senate candidate

Charles B. Johnson, the retired billionaire of the investment company, which holds one of the most important interests of the San Francisco Giants, draws attention for the second time in two months thanks to a contribution to a campaign policy.

According to an election campaign on Wednesday, Johnson and his wife, Ann, each paid $ 2,700 to the campaign of Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican Senator from Mississippi, who will face the Democrat and former US Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Espy. in a second round the last seat in the Senate to be decided in the mid-term elections of 2018.

Hyde-Smith has been under fire since November 11, when a video at a campaign rally in Tupelo surfaced. She was showing her his respects for a local breeder, saying: be in the front row. "

His comments have become a major campaign topic because of the infamous Mississippi story about African Americans. Although Hyde-Smith apologized in a statement and in a Tuesday debate with Espy, an African-American, she also said that her comments were joked and had been "twisted" by political opponents.

Since the video appeared, Hyde-Smith has also been filmed, saying it would be a good idea to make it more difficult for some students to vote. A photo taken in 2014 by Hyde-Smith wearing a Confederate hat has also sparked controversy in Mississippi.

According to the election record, Charles B. Johnson and Ann L. Johnson of Palm Beach, Florida, donated the combined $ 5,400 to the Hyde-Smith campaign on Tuesday, nine days after the publication of his commentary on the "public hanging".

Several companies, including Walmart, AT & T and Pfizer, have publicly waived their support for Hyde-Smith and asked it to return their contributions before the publication of its comments.

"Sen. Hyde-Smith's comments clearly do not reflect the values ​​of our company and its associates, "Walmart said in a statement posted on Twitter. "As a result, we are withdrawing our support and asking for reimbursement of all donations from the campaign."

Last month, the documents showed that Charles B. Johnson had donated $ 1,000 to a Super PAC called Black Americans for the President's agenda, which had created a racist automated call used in a congressional election in Washington. Arkansas before mid-term.

Johnson, who does not give interviews and remains very discreet, issued a rare statement via the Giants on Oct. 19, giving up the group.

"I did not know at all that this donation would be used in this way and, like the Giants organization, I strongly condemn any form of racism and in no way tolerate the advertising created by this entity." said Johnson, retired president of Franklin-Templeton Investments, in the statement.

Some Giants fans expressed their outrage over the social media that Johnson had given to this group. Several did so again on Thursday after Judd Legum, a political writer, announced Johnson's donations to the Hyde-Smith campaign in his Popular newsletter.

The Giants officials, some of whom left for the holiday weekend, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Johnson's latest contribution.