World Wrestling Entertainment issued a press release on Wednesday in response to the Democratic Party in Connecticut requesting a federal investigation into whether WWE and Linda McMahon’s campaign worked together in launching the “Stand up for WWE.” There is a federal election law that prohibits corporations from working directly with political campaigns.
Earlier this week, the Connecticut Democratic Party spokeswoman Kate Hansen said, “Linda McMahon’s $50 million attack machine now has corporate reinforcements, thanks to the ‘Stand up for WWE’ campaign launched by her husband Vince McMahon. No coincidence, it looks a lot like her political campaign… except this one is probably against the law.”
WWE issued the following statement:
WWE DEFENDS ITSELF
STAMFORD, Conn., October 20, 2010 – Due to what the WWE® considers malicious and misleading attacks reported by some members of the media, the company on Monday began a global initiative to defend itself called “Stand Up for WWE” which has resulted in yet more false allegations.
“World Wrestling Entertainment will not be bullied or intimidated by whining allegations intended to censor our freedom of speech,” said Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO of WWE.
WWE will fervently fight against any attempt to muzzle or trample its First Amendment rights. Our fans, employees, and performers are united in this grassroots effort to “Stand Up for WWE.”
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly, PG content across all of its platforms including television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 500 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Toronto and Mexico City. Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to https://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) can be found at corporate.wwe.com.