In 2021, Pfizer and Amazon both earned perfect scores on the Corporate Equality Index for their treatment of LGBT employees. That same year, each gave at least $500,000 to the Attorney General Alliance (AGA)—a nonprofit that has taken U.S. officials on trips to Qatar, a country that criminalizes same-sex relations, bans pride flags, and has tortured LGBT citizens. Critics argue this is blatant Pfizer-Amazon hypocrisy, as the donations accounted for nearly 20% of the AGA’s annual revenue.
The AGA promotes itself as a “bipartisan forum” for state attorneys general, funded largely by corporate sponsorships. Documents reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show the group’s “Rule of Law” partnership with the Qatari government has sent AGs to a nation accused of human trafficking, supporting Hamas, and holding over 1% of its population in modern slavery. Notable attendees of these junkets include former Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich and Nevada attorney general Aaron Ford.
The donations from Pfizer and Amazon directly coincided with AGA trips to Qatar, including a $15,000 excursion reported by Ford in 2021. Tom Jones of the American Accountability Foundation called out the contradiction, saying, “The hypocrisy is out of this world… just remember that they pay millions to boost an influence operation that helps a country where homosexuality is illegal.”
Despite its public LGBT advocacy, Pfizer defended its ties to the AGA, stating the engagement was meant to “combat counterfeit medicines and fentanyl-laced drugs,” while Amazon offered no comment. The AGA, meanwhile, continues to give Qatar’s officials direct access to state AGs, reinforcing concerns about corporate-backed foreign influence operations.
