Goya board of directors censures CEO for comments about election fraud
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Goya’s board of directors has reportedly voted to censure CEO Robert Unanue after he made unfounded public claims about voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
On Inauguration Day on Wednesday, Unanue appeared on Fox Business and said that President Joe Biden’s win was “unverified” and spoke of a coming war.
"I think this is mission accomplished, by the union, the partnership, the conglomerate of social media, big tech, big media and big government for ushering in the dawn of a new world order,” Unanue said on air. “There is a war coming, now that the president is leaving today, they're still coming after the United States, the working class.”
Video: Trump promotes Goya products on Twitter
The board’s decision, made Friday and first reported by the New York Post, means that Unanue will no longer be able to speak to the media without first getting permission from the board.
Unanue confirmed to the Post that he would no longer be speaking publicly about politics or religion, but didn’t mention the board’s decision directly.
"Independently, I've made the decision to lower the temperature and walk away from speaking about politics and religion," Unanue told the Post. "I realize it's important because of the diverse views of the company and our market."
Unanue made waves in July when he praised then-President Donald Trump at a White House event, saying the country was “truly blessed” to have him leading it. Those comments prompted a backlash from a number of Hispanic politicians and led to calls on social media for a boycott of the Latino food company.
Trump supporters then responded by launching a “buy-cott” and Ivanka Trump came out in support of the company, calling on consumers to buy Goya products.
Goya doesn’t publicly disclose financial earnings so it’s unclear what impact Unanue’s comments had on the company. But a source who spoke with CNN Business said the comments “imperiled the future of the company” and that “sales growth is less than it was” before his comments.
