Senator Tom Cotton dressed down ‘woke’ Kroger CEO for expecting Republicans to rescue them from Democrat overregulation, dismissing him with the gesture: “Best of luck.”
Cotton (R-AR) was discussing the merger of Kroger and Albertsons grocery chains with the former’s CEO Rodney McMullen, but first pointed out some of the company’s controversial politically correct actions.
The Republican lawmaker referenced a religious discrimination case between the grocery giant and two former employees who were fired for refusing to wear a uniform with a logo that they believed resembled a gay pride symbol.
“Has your company ever fired an employee or disciplined an employee for their religious beliefs?” Cotton asked point blank.
McCullen feigned ignorance saying, “I personally am not aware of this.”
“How is that possible?” Cotton replied. “You’re being sued by the federal government. You have settled on a suit, and you don’t know about it?”
Sen. Hawley asks about lawsuit on employee who was allegedly fired for religious beliefs.
Kroger CEO: “I personally am not aware of the details.”
Hawley: “How is that possible? You’re being sued by the federal government. You’ve settled a suit, and you don’t know about it?” pic.twitter.com/jgMgGjf7HK
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 29, 2022
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Cotton Wrecks ‘Woke’ Kroger CEO
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After stating he was “not aware” of the lawsuit, a highly unlikely scenario, Cotton offered some help in refreshing his memory on the settlement.
“You just paid $180,000 to two employees that you wrongly terminated,” he explained to McMullen. “By the way would you like to offer an apology here to Brenda Lawson and Trudy Rickerd for the ordeal they went through?”
“I would need to understand more of the details,” McMullen replied.
2 Employees Win Religious Rights Settlement, Saying Kroger Fired Them for Not Wearing Pro-LGBT Aprons | CBN News https://t.co/pATmuoNNZ3 via @CBNNews
— CBN News (@CBNNews) November 3, 2022
Cotton’s line of attack against the ‘woke’ Kroger CEO then shifted to a store guide that directed employees to stop saying the words “sir” or “ma’am” when addressing customers.
“Do you really expect 72-year-old employees in rural areas of Arkansas to stop using words like ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’?” Cotton asked.
McMullen replied that the policy was meant to “be inclusive for everybody with different beliefs.”
Just not those who were fired for being forced to wear a gay pride symbol, apparently.
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Cotton Unloads
And that’s when Cotton went into goblin mode.
At a hearing referencing a merger that unions and their progressive allies have urged President Biden to block, Senator Cotton was unimpressed with McMullen and Albertson CEO Vivek Sankaran pleading their case before Congress.
“I’ve cautioned them (CEOs) for years that if they silence conservatives and center-right voters … if they discriminate against them in their company, they probably shouldn’t come and ask Republican senators to carry the water for them whenever our Democratic friends want to regulate them or block their mergers,” Cotton said.
“I’ll say this: ‘I’m sorry that’s happening to you. Best of luck,” he added.
We urge you to watch that clip in its entirety.
Cotton’s takedown of the Kroger CEO is a masterclass in putting ‘woke’ corporations in their place. You can tell how effective it was by simply watching the look on McMullen’s face after Cotton says, “Best of luck.”
The Federal Trade Commission issued a request for more information on the planned $25 billion merger on Tuesday. Kroger anticipates it will be completed by early 2024.
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