Stacy Mitchell’s Statement on Jeff Bezos Being Called to Testify Before Congress

Date: 1 May 2020 | posted in: Press Release | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In response to the House Judiciary Committee’s letter calling Jeff Bezos to testify, ILSR Co-Director Stacy Mitchell issued the following statement:

“Amazon often acts as though it’s above the law. Today, the House Judiciary Committee firmly demonstrated that it’s not. The letter, which is notably bipartisan, exhibits deep frustration with Amazon’s dishonesty before Congress and its ongoing refusal to provide information requested by the committee. Most significantly, the letter underscores the importance and gravity of the committee’s investigation by noting that Amazon appears to have exploited its market power to harm competition.”

Mitchell testified before the committee last June, at the same hearing in which Amazon’s counsel, Nate Sutton, appears to have lied. In her testimony, she stated:

“Amazon doesn’t just dominate markets. Through its control of essential infrastructure, it has assumed governing authority over a growing share of our commerce. As I’ve documented here, Amazon has the power to regulate, tax, and punish Americans engaged in trade. Thus the threat that it poses to our liberty and democracy is fundamental…. To restore competition and safeguard our liberty, we need to both restructure and regulate Amazon.”

Read Stacy Mitchell’s testimony to the House Judiciary Committee here.

See more of ILSR’s work on Amazon here.

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Stacy Mitchell is co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and directs its Independent Business Initiative, which produces research and designs policy to counter concentrated corporate power and strengthen local economies.