Sen. Warren Asks Apple CEO About Tariff Lobbying
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked Apple CEO Tim Cook about his private lobbying on tariffs on Chinese imports, and the fact that the carveout for the tariffs for electronics affected phones, computers and smart watches, which Apple makes, but not video game consoles.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
"At best, your work to eliminate the tariffs on Apple products, and President [Donald] Trump’s subsequent decision to exempt certain Apple products, creates the appearance of impropriety," she wrote in a letter dated April 23.
She asked if Apple made any commitments on business matters related to the tariffs, or if he made any commitments for campaign contributions or political support. She asked: "Did you make any commitments with regard to financial matters that could affect President Trump or his family?"
She also asked what action Apple took to prevent insider trading on the news of the exemption.