Anheuser-Busch lobbyists hosted a fundraiser with Democratic operatives and Congressional staffers at a secret bar in Washington, D.C., independent journalist Lee Fang reports.
The beer conglomerate offered its private bar to the Elect Democratic Women PAC for a “Chiefs of Staff Happy Hour” with tickets ranging from $500 to $5,000, according to Fang. Congressional staffers for Democratic Reps. McBath of Georgia, Crockett of Texas, Torres of California, Moore of Wisconsin and DeLauro of Connecticut were on the event’s sign-in list, Fang reported. (RELATED: Anheuser-Busch Accepts Creative Marketing Award Announced Shortly Before Bud Light Boycott Began)
Anheuser-Busch has a secret bar (hidden inside a DC office building) only for political insiders, lobbyists and policymakers. I got kicked out. pic.twitter.com/u3fTsetT0L
— Lee Fang (@lhfang) July 25, 2023
Anheuser-Busch lobbyists own an invitation-only bar inside of a Washington, D.C., office tower. Fang said he was quickly kicked out when he tried to get into the fundraiser.
Elect Democratic Women raised $7.8 million for the Democratic party in the 2022 midterm elections, Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show. The group was founded in 2018 by seven Democratic lawmakers and its aim is to help the Democratic party flip Republican Congressional seats, according to Influence Watch.
Anheuser-Busch is currently attempting to win back conservative customers who have been boycotting Bud Light since April because of transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney’s ads promoting Bud Light. Sales data from the July 4th holiday shows the Bud Light boycott continues to persist, despite Anheuser-Busch’s ongoing marketing campaign to rebuild Bud Light’s image.
Anheuser-Busch did not immediately respond to a request for comment.