Posting to TikTok on August 5, Pinsley said he wants to move the county’s assets into a local bank, though he reminded his viewers that “nothing happens overnight.” The video has received over 166,000 views and hundreds of comments applauding Pinsley for trying to effect “real change.”

Lehigh’s Plan

According to Bloomberg, Lehigh County’s Board of Commissioners voted 6-3 on July 13 to approve the plan. However, it could be some time before the county can actually divest its funds from the banking giant.

“The county’s legal department will now make recommendations about next steps, including whether the county needs to hold a request for proposal process to find a new banking institution for their assets, which could take three to six months,” Bloomberg reported.

In a statement, Lehigh County Commissioner Zakiya Smalls, who voted in favor of the measure, called the plan “important.”

“As the only woman on the board, it’s important that in light of Roe being overturned that we begin to look at things in an in-depth way. We have an opportunity to choose whether we want to continue a relationship with a bank that takes partisan stances or a regional bank that is invested in our community,” she said.

So far this year, Wells Fargo has made nearly even contributions between Republican and Democratic congressional candidates, according to Open Secrets, a nonprofit organization that tracks “money in politics.” Still, Lehigh County has taken issue with the bank’s contributions to the Republican Governor’s Association and the Republican Senate Campaign Committee, who they said “back candidates supportive of stripping away abortion rights or have obstructed commonsense gun reform.”

Pinsley’s Video

In his now-viral video, Pinsley said he was partly inspired to propose the divestment plan by a TikToker posting under the username rainbowsprimkle, who, after Roe v. Wade was overturned, made a spreadsheet tracking which major brands and companies have supported anti-abortion candidates.

“In light of recent events, I’ve decided that I want to stop supporting, as much as possible, any company that donates to political candidates who are not aligned with my values,” she said in a viral video.

She included Wells Fargo in her spreadsheet, along with eight other banking companies.

In response, Pinsley said: “[The spreadhseet] had an impact on me…I saw that we use Wells Fargo, who apparently donates to anti-abortion candidates and others…so I have gone to the board and asked the board to divest all $145 million [of our assets] out of Wells Fargo and to put it into a local bank.”

Viewers React

Hundreds of commenters, including some who claimed to be Lehigh County residents, applauded Pinlsey’s plan and thanked him for trying to effect change.

“I live in Lehigh county, and I am so so so glad that you took the initiative to do this!” Laura Dollenger said.

“THIS IS HOW YOU LEAD!!!!!!” TruckinSongster exclaimed.

“Wow, nice job!! Making real change!” userhasleftchat wrote.

Elaine added: “Change maker!! love it!”

Newsweek reached out to Lehigh County for comment.

In the News

Wells Fargo isn’t the first company to come under fire for its “anti-abortion” ties. Last year, AT&T, CVS Health and others were revealed to have donated to Senate Bill 8, a Texas bill that “prohibits all abortions in the state if medical professionals can detect a fetal heartbeat,” Newsweek reported.

And in May, it was reported that several large corporations including Starbucks and Coca-Cola were advised by a PR company to stay silent about abortion rights in the wake of the leaked Supreme Court draft decision.

Correction 08/31/2022, 3:30 p.m. ET: This story was been corrected to remove a statement that State Farm Insurance donated money to Senate Bill 8.