Intel CEO Asks For Refund Of Donation To Rep. Hagedorn

Bob Swan, the CEO of computer giant Intel, has joined constituents, former donors and members of the public in lambasting U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-1st District) for online comments some say were racist.

Through its political action committee, Intel gave $4,000 to Hagedorn's reelection campaign in 2018, Popular.info reported. Intel's CEO is now asking for the money back.

Hagedorn last month shared a FOX News article quoting activist Sean King in saying statues portraying Christian figurehead Jesus as a white man should be torn down, much like Confederate monuments that have long been the bane of activists fighting for racial equity.

"They are a form of white supremacy," King wrote on Twitter. "Always have been."

On Facebook, Hagedorn wrote "Black Lives Matter" activists are incongruent with "western culture."

"Their radical movement is orchestrated and growing," Hagedorn wrote. "We must never let them take power. We must stand up and defend our country, our nation’s identity, our Judeo-Christian values and our American way of life."

Swan released a statement not only condemning Hagedorn's comments, but also asking for Intel's $4,000 back.

Swan's statement was published on Popular.info. It reads:

"IntelPAC has not contributed to Rep. Hagedorn since 2018, and will not make future contributions to him. We regularly evaluate our political spending for effectiveness and alignment with Intel’s values as part of our contributions process. In 2019 we added reviews of public statements to our existing reviews of voting records to better assess alignment of contribution recipients with our values. Our prior contribution to Rep. Hagedorn would not have been approved under our current process, and we will ask for the contribution to be refunded."