The organization advised lawmakers in a letter that it would be glad to ship someone. It never, however, mentions Bezos in the three-page letter, which was once acquired through The New York Times.
Instead, the employer stated that it used to be “prepared to make the splendid Amazon government handy to the Committee to tackle these essential issues.”
By now not promising an look via Bezos, Amazon’s response may additionally amplify tensions with the Democratic leaders of the House Judiciary Committee who, alongside with some Republicans, requested Bezos’ testimony in a letter despatched to the organisation on May 1. They have threatened to legally compel Bezos to show up earlier than the panel if he does now not agree to do so willingly.
“We recognize the response,” Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., chairman of the panel’s antitrust subcommittee, stated in a statement. “As we stated in our letter, we count on Mr. Bezos to testify when referred to as and to entirely cooperate with this investigation.”
Should Bezos show up earlier than the committee, he would probable face questions about accusations that the enterprise abuses its market power, as nicely as problems like its cure of warehouse employees and its affect on small businesses. Unlike most different pinnacle technological know-how executives, Bezos has no longer testified earlier than Congress.
“We additionally thoroughly admire your activity in listening to from Amazon leaders involving these troubles and any different difficulty cloth to your investigation into opposition in digital markets, which includes at any future hearing,” Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president of public policy, stated in the Friday letter.
The lawmakers had talked with the agency earlier than the formal letter was once despatched about arranging Bezos’ testimony, in accordance to a couple of human beings acquainted with the matter. The corporation has been resistant to the request, stated the people, who spoke anonymously due to the fact the talks had been private.
The Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee has been conducting an inquiry into feasible antitrust abuses by way of Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple for months. It has heard from representatives of the corporations and remaining 12 months requested reams of files from the firms, which include Bezos’ communications.
Its tensions with Amazon have ratcheted up in current weeks, after a Wall Street Journal document that recommended an Amazon legal professional had given a deceptive reply to the committee at a listening to remaining year. Lawmakers have raised the prospect that they may want to refer the lawyer, Nate Sutton, for a viable crook investigation.
In its letter on Friday, Amazon denied that Sutton had misled the panel.
“We disagree strongly with any recommendation that we have tried to misinform the Committee or no longer been cooperative with the investigation,” the agency wrote.
