Democrat U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook requesting more information about his relationship with the Donald Trump administration when it comes to import tariffs.
In a letter sent earlier this week, Senator Warren said Cook’s work with Trump to eliminate the tariffs on Apple products “creates the appearance of impropriety.” Warren, as well as several other senators are examining the $1 million donations made by Cook and other tech heads to Trump’s January inauguration fund.
At best, your work to eliminate the tariffs on Apple products, and President Trump’s subsequent
decision to exempt certain Apple products, creates the appearance of impropriety. However, recent
reporting also raises serious questions about the extent to which it is possible for massive
corporate special interests to use their money and influence to secure tariff exemptions that are
unavailable to Main Street small businesses.In light of these reports, we write to request more information about your attempts to influence
Trump Administration officials.
President Trump initially announced still tariffs on products imported from China and other countries, with the largest tariffs being laid on Chinese products. The tariffs would have a big impact on the profits of Apple and several other tech firms. Trump then announced that he would pause tariffs on most countries for 90 days, although he increased the tariffs on Chinese products.
Apple immediately flew several plane loads of iPhone, iPads, Macs, and other products into the U.S. before the tariffs took place. Luckily for the company, Trump later announced he would be making several exemptions, which would cover devices made by Apple and other companies.
It is believed that one of the reasons Trump made the exemptions is due to his relationship with Cook. Cook’s relationship with the President is what spurred Warren to write the letter, which was obtained and shared by Bloomberg.
Readers should keep in mind that much of this is politics as usual, as Senator Warren is a Democrat, so her view of the relationship between the two could be colored by that.
Appl eor Cook are not required to respond to Warren’s letter, and the Senator and her allies would need to make formal corruption allegations before an investigation would be opened that could compell Cook to testify.
