Campbell Soup is facing calls for boycott after one of its executives tweeted a conspiracy theory involving billionaire George Soros and a migrant caravan from Honduras.
Vice President of Government Affairs Kelly Johnston suggested that Soros’ Open Society Foundation planned and is carrying out the 5,000-person caravan making its way from Central America to the U.S. He also said the foundation has an “army of American immigration lawyers waiting at the border.”
In his tweet, Johnston also said Soros's foundation had orchestrated everything, including where the migrants defecate.
Vice President of Government Affairs for @CampbellSoupCo @johnston_kelly (a former Secretary of the US Senate under Bob Dole) spreading conspiracy theory about @GeorgeSoros' @OpenSociety planning & executing migrant caravan "including where they defecate." https://t.co/vDQvw4mUwh pic.twitter.com/NdLnpGQ9uE
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) October 23, 2018
The caravan of thousands has reached the Guatemala-Mexico border.
Trump blames Democrats’ policies for the caravans and flow of illegal immigrants coming into the U.S.
Johnston’s tweet — which has been deleted along with his account — garnered backlash on Twitter, where people said they would boycott Campbell Soup until action was taken against Johnston.
Many called for Johnston to be fired.
Unhinged: Campbell's Soup distances itself from its VP for gov't affairs, who tweeted a conspiracy theory about the refugee #caravan "and where they defecate." Calls for the official's firing and a boycott abounded https://t.co/Qq2HoXyZ7Y pic.twitter.com/UkQpD7V5cL
— David Beard (@dabeard) October 23, 2018
“The opinions Mr. Johnston expresses on Twitter are his individual views and do not represent the position of Campbell Soup Company,” the company told the Washington Post Tuesday
Soros, a progressive liberal billionaire, often donates to Democrats and is a frequent target of Republicans and far-right conspiracy theorists.
An explosive device was proactively detonated by a bomb squad outside of Soros’ home in Katonah, N.Y., on Monday.
Johnston, who has been with Campbell since 2002, has held several positions within the Republican Party. He previously served as secretary of the Senate under then-Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole, a Republican.