Deloitte Experiences Backlash Due to Employee's Leaked Correspondence with JD Vance from Donald Trump's Circle
Recent assaults on Deloitte are just another instance of prominent American corporations facing attacks from former President Donald Trump or his associates.
Deloitte felt the backlash from Trump's camp immediately after The Washington Post published a scandalous article on September 27, which revealed Vance, now Trump's running mate, mentioned in a private 2020 message that Trump had not fully fulfilled his economic agenda. The Post did not disclose Vance's contact, and they leaked those communications.
Donald Trump Jr., the former president's eldest son and a campaign surrogate, took to social media to voice his disapproval the same day, by exposing what he claimed to be the Deloitte employee's identity and photo, suggesting that Deloitte should face the consequences.
"Perhaps it's time for the GOP to put an end to Deloitte's government-funded perks?" Trump Jr. wrote on X, mentioning that Deloitte receives billions of dollars in government contracts. His post was retweeted by a Vance spokesperson and amplified by Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller.
Trump Jr. defended his actions as a private citizen speaking his mind when he talked to CNN.
Deloitte received around $3 billion from the U.S. federal government in fiscal 2024, according to official records. This includes large sums from significant agencies like the Department of Defense, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of Homeland Security.
Two days later, Trump Jr. followed up with another tweet, questioning if Deloitte had commented on an employee "colluding" with the Post to "aid Kamala Harris."
"We're not forgetting this," Trump Jr. said in a post that was retweeted by GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt, who demanded Deloitte respond to the "outrageous" scandal.
Neither Trump nor Vance have publicly attacked Deloitte, and it's worth noting that Trump Jr. has specified he does not intend to serve in the federal government. Representatives for Vance and the Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
However, the attacks on Deloitte are part of a broader trend of US businesses being singled out by Trump and his supporters and highlight the potential danger of Trump returning to the White House in January, seeking to leverage the federal government against his opponents.
"It's outrageous. It illustrates how unsuitable Trump is as a candidate and how reckless he and his family would be if he returns to power," Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, founder, and president of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, told CNN in a phone interview.
More than any modern U.S. president, Trump has directly targeted individual U.S. businesses.
In just the past two weeks, Trump himself has vowed to slap John Deere with unprecedented tariffs and threatened to send the Justice Department after Google. In the past, Trump has called for boycotts against Apple and Harley-Davidson, accused Amazon of defrauding the US Postal Service, threatened General Motors over its factory location, and labeled Facebook an "enemy of the people."
"Donald Trump attacks iconic companies – the very symbols of American capitalism," said Sonnenfeld. "This is unprecedented vindictiveness and interference in private-sector decision-making, as well as undermining the rule of law."
Richard Painter, the top ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, described Deloitte's treatment as "disgraceful."
Painter, who is a law professor at the University of Minnesota, said Trump's son was acting on behalf of Trump's own retaliation against the company. Painter noted that challenging Deloitte's federal contracts would be an "abuse of federal contracting law."
"Federal procurement is based on quality and price, and therefore value to the taxpayers, not on political affiliations," Painter said. "Even if Deloitte itself had supported Trump's political rival, it should not result in the loss of a government contract."
In a statement to CNN, Trump Jr. said the Deloitte employee had the right to leak the communications, The Washington Post had the right to publish them, and as a private citizen, he had the right to voice his opposition to where his tax dollars went.
Trump Jr. continued to denounce the Deloitte employee as a "scoundrel" for leaking the private conversation and the Post journalist as a "scoundrel" for not cautioning their source that "public backlash often follows when engaging in the political process in this manner."
(The Post reported that they did inform the Deloitte employee of the potential for his identity to become public.)
In an article published over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal described Trump Jr. as the "crown prince of MAGA world." Trump Jr. told the Journal he has no desire to ever work in government and does not plan to run for office.
When asked about the attacks from members of Trump's circle, Deloitte spokesperson Jonathan Gandal told CNN that the private messages were shared by an individual "without Deloitte's knowledge or approval."
"Deloitte is deeply committed to supporting our government and commercial clients and has a long history of doing so across party lines and administrations," said the Deloitte spokesperson. Deloitte did not respond to questions about possible disciplinary action or plans for the employee.
Unlike other companies that have been threatened by Trump over transferring jobs abroad or shutting down factories, the center of the controversy in the Deloitte case revolves around a single individual at the firm. Deloitte was not even mentioned in the leaked messages, according to The Washington Post.
"Deloitte has approximately 150,000 professionals within the U.S., and one person does not embody the entire organization," said Yale's Sonnenfeld. "They have the right to express their own opinions."
dude, so, according to CNN analyst Norman Eisen, who's also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, it's kinda tough to comprehend how a corporation could lawfully endure threats of retribution due to an employee's personal endeavors.
Yet, as Eisen points out, Trump and his pals have made it pretty clear they're planning to utilize the DOJ and the government as weapons against their perceived adversaries. Consequently, it's crucial we pay close attention to the possibility of businesses encountering retaliation.
Deloitte's business relations with the federal government could be at risk due to Trump Jr.'s criticisms, given that the company receives significant funding from various agencies.
In light of the attacks on Deloitte, it's crucial for businesses to be aware of the potential consequences of having employees associated with controversial political situations.
