Spokesman: GOP Megadonor Didn't Send Controversial Anti-Tax Hike Tweet
GOP Megadonor Liz Uihlein in the ULINE company headquarters in Pleasant Prairie, WI. The Uihleins live in Lake Forest. (Source: Milwaukee Business Journal/Jake Hill)
A billionaire Republican donor came under fire in some circles Wednesday after she supposedly tweeted about the Illinois graduated tax constitutional amendment with negative connotations about workers. But a spokesman says she doesn’t have a Twitter account.
The tweet in question made from an account claiming to be Republican donor Liz Uihlein. A Uihlein family spokesman denies she has an account.
The tweet allegedly came from billionaire packaging materials magnate Liz Uihlein, who operates the ULINE company with her husband, Richard, in southern Wisconsin. The Uihleins live in Lake Forest. The Twitter account was deleted at some point Wednesday, but a screen shot shows the account replying to a tweet from the “Vote Yes for Fairness” committee supporting the graduated income tax constitutional amendment November 3.
“Why should I be expected to subsidize my employees’ taxes,” the account asked. “They don’t need a handout from me, they already get a paycheck. Vote NO on the tax hike amendment.”
A spokesman for the ULINE company and Uihlein family would only say that Liz Uihlein does not have a Twitter account. He did not confirm that Uihlein had the account before it was deleted. Deleting the account removed all previous tweets from the account, but replies from other Twitter users dated back to 2018. The spokesman said there was no proof the old replies, or “tags,” were directed at an account Uihlein ever operated.
Some conservatives defended Uihlein, saying the tweet came from a “fake account.”
A screenshot from Twitter Wednesday showing responses to the Uihlein account dating back to 2018.
Last month, Richard Uihlein donated $100,000 to a committee attempting to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment.
The “Vote Yes for Fairness” committee, supported by around $56 million from Governor JB Pritzker to approve the referendum, believed Uihlein had sent the tweet and criticized her for her remark.
“Opponents of the Fair Tax can try to hide behind millions of dollars in disingenuous ads and false rhetoric, but the truth will always come out,” said Quentin Fulks, Chairman of the Vote Yes for Fairness committee. “Time and again, opponents of the Fair Tax have made clear they’re only in it for themselves and Vote Yes For Fairness is committed to making sure they don’t get away with their deceptive tactics.”
The Uihleins have been involved in numerous political controversies over the years. Earlier this year, Uihlein said the media was “overblowing” the coronavirus pandemic and she seemingly flouted Canadian rules to enter that country for 36 hours. They gave millions to former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who was embroiled in child sexual assault allegations. They’ve also been accused of discriminatory hiring practices.
The Uihleins also went into a financial war with Illinois Republicans in previous primary seasons, sending significant amounts of money to an outside PAC boosting right-wing candidates.
The Illinoize requested an interview with Mrs. Uihlein, but have not received a response.
UPDATE 1:43 P.M. 10/12/20:
From a ULine company spokesperson:
On behalf of Uline, I am writing to you to confirm that the alleged Liz Uihlein tweet that was reported by the Illinoize was a fake account, and that Liz Uihlein has never had a twitter account.
After being reported to Twitter, the fake account has been removed by Twitter for impersonation. We respectfully request that you please remove any coverage of this issue or update it to indicate it was a fake account in no way related to Liz Uihlein.