David Cicilline threatened to compel Jeff Bezos to appear before Congress after the Amazon CEO refused to state whether he would voluntarily testify about his business’ practices, reported the Daily Mail.
“No one is above the law, no matter how rich or powerful,” the chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee tweeted.
“We have asked Mr. Bezos to testify before the US Congress about Amazon’s troubling business practices and false statements, and we expect him to do so,” Cicilline asserted.
The Rhode Island congressman added, “Whether he does so voluntarily or by subpoena is his choice.”
The additional push from Cicilline comes after seven lawmakers sent a letter to Bezos on May 1 expressing they expect him to “testify on a voluntary basis” in the House antitrust probe into Amazon and other tech giants.
“In light of our ongoing investigation, recent public reporting, and Amazon’s prior testimony before the Committee, we expect you, as Chief Executive Officer of Amazon, to testify before the Committee,” seven US members of the House Antitrust Subcommittee wrote.
A Wall Street Journal report from last month alleged that Amazon employees accessed non-public information regarding third-party sellers and subsequently created competing brands to further increase the company’s profitability.
The four Democrats and three Republicans who authored the letter to Bezos threatened to subpoena the CEO, who also owns The Washington Post, if he did not voluntarily appear to testify.
After more than two weeks, however, the world’s richest man has still not responded to the letter on whether he will testify before Congress.
Full Content: Daily Mail
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
