via abcnews:
During last week’s presidential debate, the former Newark mayor took a strong stance against the pharmaceutical industry, saying that pharmaceutical companies should be “held criminally liable” for the health and opioid crisis across the country and further stated that his campaign doesn’t take contributions from the industry’s corporate PACs and executives.
ABC News’ closer examination of disclosure reports filed to the Federal Election Commission, however, revealed that Booker’s campaign did accept several donations from individuals associated with the pharmaceutical companies, including executives and leaders.
After ABC News reported on those donations as part of its debate fact checking, the Booker campaign told ABC News that they have decided to return a $2,800 donation from Eagle Pharmaceutical Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer Michael Cordera.
“Since 2017, Cory Booker has rejected campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies — not only their corporate and industry PACs, but also from their c-suite executives and board chairs,” Booker campaign’s press secretary Sabrina Singh told ABC News in a statement. “His presidential campaign rejects these contributions too, and we carefully review our FEC filings and do everything we can to ensure we’re abiding by this pledge. Based on our review of our most recent campaign finance report, we were confident we lived up to the high standard we set.”
A Booker campaign aide added that the campaign had accepted the donation from Cordera because he had listed his occupation as an “attorney,” which the campaign didn’t initially consider as an executive, but decided to return the donation after ABC News pointed out that his occupation was “chief compliance officer.”
Cordera and Eagle Pharmaceutical did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Other than the recently returned donation from Cordera, Booker also received donations from Sanofi Vice President of Industrial Operations Rakesh Kakkar, Pfizer regional head Sonya Kakkar and Lifestar Pharma Vice President of Sales and Marketing David Gann. The senator from New Jersey has also received several maximum donations from pharmacists and pharmacy owners.
Booker’s campaign told ABC News that Cordera’s is the only contribution returned because the campaign doesn’t consider the other donors as c-suite executives, or top senior staffers, and board chairs.