Anti-abortion activists demonstrate outside the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, June 13, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
The Republican Attorneys General Association is hosting a private retreat for its corporate donors at a luxury resort in Florida this weekend — on the heels of the GOP’s long-sought win in getting Roe v. Wade overturned by the Supreme Court.
Nearly 20 corporations and trade groups are said to have RSVP’d to attend the three-day retreat, including lobbyists and executives from CNBC’s corporate parent Comcast, Match Group, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Anheuser-Busch, Juul Labs, Koch Industries, Lowe’s, and Walmart, according to a list of expected attendees obtained by CNBC.
The private gathering at the luxurious Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Fla. — where the cheapest room on its website goes for around $830 a night — is scheduled to start on Sunday and carry through late Tuesday, according to an agenda reviewed by CNBC. The agenda, titled “ERC & Victory Fund Retreat” shows an opening reception and dinner on Sunday followed by a cigar and whiskey reception on Monday with optional excursions to play golf, attend a tennis clinic or go deep sea fishing.
The retreat falls as the group seeks more donations to fend off legal attacks from Democrats seeking to protect abortion rights. A June 24 fundraising email said “every donation will help the Republican Attorneys General combat the Democrats’ pro-abortion agenda and stand tall for life.”
The group, headed by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment.
Lobbying giant Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, PhRMA, and the US Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, a business legal advocacy group, are also listed as those set to attend the upcoming retreat.
Records show that, since the 2020 election cycle, almost of all of the corporations and trade groups listed to attend the private retreat have combined to contribute over $4 million to RAGA. They raised over $4 million alone in the first quarter of 2022.
Out of all of the expected attendees, only seven responded on the record to CNBC’s requests for comment on whether they still plan to attend the gathering in Florida or their plans to continue to support the Republican Attorney Generals group, given its advocacy in overturning of Roe.
Pfizer was invited but has decided not to go, spokeswoman Sharon Castillo said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.
“Our engagement with RAGA has focused mainly on advancing healthcare policies related to patient safety and efforts to combat counterfeit medicines, and is completely unrelated to the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion,” she added.
PhRMA spokeswoman Sarah Sutton, in an emailed statement to CNBC, didn’t confirm or deny whether they were sending anyone to the retreat
“We engage with policymakers and organizations from both sides of the aisle, as well as bipartisan and…
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