Last Friday, Congressman Mike Collins (R-GA) endorsed the conduct of student counterprotesters at the University of Mississippi. Collins posted a video on X showing a counterprotester heckling a Black woman by imitating a monkey. "Ole Miss is taking care of business," Collins commented.

Collins’ praise for this racist harassment quickly gained national media attention, including a story in the Associated Press. On X, Collins lashed out at his critics, accusing former RNC Chair Michael Steele of "repeating leftist talking points." Collins initially ignored media requests for comment. But then, early Monday, Collins affirmed his support for the racist counterprotest in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Ole Miss is one of those many examples, particularly outside of the Ivy Leagues and large metropolitan campuses, where counter demonstrators are not letting occupiers encamp and trash their campus," a Collins spokesperson said. 

Shortly thereafter, Popular Information published its report detailing Collins' conduct and revealing that Collins' reelection campaign is supported by prominent corporations who champion racial justice. Among Collins' financial contributors is Coca-Cola, a company that publicly pledged to donate zero dollars to "candidates who make egregious or inflammatory remarks in the equality and inclusion area."

Neither Coca-Cola nor Collins' other corporate supporters commented publicly, but on Monday afternoon Collins abruptly changed his approach. In a lengthy statement, Collins stated that he "understand[s] and respect[s] the feedback that has been shared regarding a single individual during the Ole Miss protests." Collins said that, at the time he posted the video, he didn't think the student harassing a Black woman by imitating a monkey was a "focal point." But he said that now he understands that it is "potentially inappropriate behavior." (Collins did not describe under what circumstances mocking a Black woman by imitating a monkey would be appropriate.) He also said that if the student imitating a monkey was "found to have treated another person inappropriately," he "should be punished appropriately." 

Collins did not apologize or remove the video from his X account. 

Popular Information contacted Coca-Cola and asked if the company was satisfied with Collins' statement. Coca-Cola did not respond. 

This is typical of corporations that make public pledges related to their political conduct. Coca-Cola and other companies are eager to burnish their image by making bold commitments on societal issues. But they are unwilling to be held accountable for those commitments or change the ways they seek political influence. 

One group that is not satisfied with Collins' response is the NAACP. The civil rights organization has launched a petition "calling for the Ethics Committee to initiate a prompt and thorough investigation into Rep. Collins and his response to the Ole Miss video full of racist and demeaning actions." The NAACP says that "any form of racism or endorsement of racism is unacceptable within our federal government."