Jordahl, Quezada Interview – Podcast March 13, 2023

GOP Attacks On The First Amendment Continue. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome attorneys Mik Jordahl and Martin Quezada to discuss bills that are being introduced in Republican-controlled legislatures across the country that would restrict free speech. Some of the bills would force government contractors to sign agreements that they and their employees will not boycott companies representing a long list of Republican issues, such as fossil fuels or firearms. Other bills would prohibit states and cities from investing in certain industries, for example, such as green energy.

In essence, both types of bills are a backdoor way to stop the necessary environmental and societal changes that are occurring. “It’s politicizing investment and government work,” says Jordahl. “Where does that end?”

Quezada, who recently lost his bid to become Arizona State Treasurer, explains one of the issues that Republicans used against him during his campaign was his commitment to ESG (Environmental and Social Governance), a tool used to evaluate investment risk that he and most investment managers use to make informed decisions and to evaluate risk. “In my campaign, it was described as woke investing.”

Asked who the bills benefit, Jordahl responds that it’s the fossil fuel companies, the firearms industry and anti-abortion groups. Not surprisingly, many of them are GOP donors.

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