Casey Affleck got political last night in his acceptance speech for Best Lead Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards, calling Donald Trump’s policies “abhorrent” and “un-American.” Unsurprisingly, then, he seems pretty pissed that his production company donated $5,000 to Trump’s transition team without telling him. This comes from Buzzfeed, which read through a list of organizations that have contributed to Trump since the election and realize that it included the Affleck/Middleton Project, a production company started by Affleck and producer John Powers Middleton that helped fund Manchester By The Sea.
Buzzfeed reached out to Affleck, who released a statement claiming that he didn’t know about this and will now “get to the bottom of it.”
I am appalled that a donation may have been made in my company’s name by someone I work with. I had no knowledge of it, was never asked, and never would have authorized it. I will get to the bottom of it. The policies of the Trump administration, and the values they represent, are antithetical to everything I believe in.
Without pointing any fingers, Buzzfeed also notes that John Powers MIddleton happens to be a “major GOP supporter” and personally donated a ton of money to pro-Trump organizations in the past. So maybe Affleck should start his investigation with that guy.