Apr 30, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Amazon calls Trump blacklisting a "personal vendetta"

Mike Allen

Photos: Elif Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images; Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Amazon blasted an unusual accusation in an annual report by saying President Trump's trade office as a "purely political act" that's part of a "personal vendetta."

What happened: U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer's office put five of Amazon’s overseas domains (Canada, France, Germany, India and the U.K.) on a list of "notorious markets” where pirated goods are sold, AP reports.

Why it matters: Trump has clashed repeatedly with Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos, who owns the Washington Post.

Amazon's Jodi Seth said in a statement: "This purely political act is another example of the administration using the U.S. government to advance a personal vendetta against Amazon."

"Amazon makes significant investments in proactive technologies and processes to detect and stop bad actors and potentially counterfeit products from being sold in our stores."
"We are an active, engaged stakeholder in the fight against counterfeit."

Lighthizer's office didn't respond to a request for comment on Amazon's blast.

Add Axios on Google

Amazon calls Trump blacklisting a "personal vendetta"

What to read next