News

Robertson Corporate Meltdown Continues

Hurriedly Resigns from Laura Ashley Under Threat of Protests

June 9, 1999

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Right on the heels of the collapse of a multi-million dollar deal with the Bank of Scotland, the far-right political empire of televangelist Pat Robertson was dealt yet another blow today. Under the threat of an international protest like the one his Bank of Scotland deal faced, Robertson announced his abrupt resignation from the board of directors of Laura Ashley, a UK-based company.

Robertson's position on the Laura Ashley board was the final high-profile mainstream affiliation left in Robertson's corporate portfolio, and his continued misfortune has sent chills through the far right. It is not known whether Robertson faced pressure to resign from inside Laura Ashley, where he owns two million shares of the company, but the timing was clearly in reaction to word that a protest action against the company was taking shape behind the scenes.

"This should send a message to the business world and the political world that Pat Robertson's extremist views are indivisible from him, and they will damage anyone who tries to affiliate with him," said Kevin Ivers, director of public affairs for Log Cabin Republicans. Log Cabin Republicans joined forces with Equality Scotland in March to lead an international effort to expose Robertson's views in light of his deal with the Bank of Scotland, which officially collapsed on June 5, 1999.