Lawmakers Press Meta, Apple, Google, And Others On Massive Trump Donations

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) are putting portion connected ample tech firms to explicate their motives for donating to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund. In letters to Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Uber, nan lawmakers definitive concerns astir nan companies making contributions to “avoid scrutiny, limit regulation, and bargain favor.”

Over nan past respective weeks, Google, Microsoft, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman each donated $1 cardinal apiece to Trump’s inauguration, while Uber and its CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, each contributed $1 million. Many of these tech execs personification already met pinch Trump, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is moreover hosting an inauguration connection for nan incoming president, according to The New York Times.

These sizable donations surpass nan magnitude astir of these companies contributed to President Joe Biden’s inauguration money successful 2021. A filing pinch nan Federal Election Commission shows Uber donated $1 cardinal to nan event, followed by Microsoft pinch a $500,000 contribution, Google astatine $337,500, and Amazon astatine $276,509. Apple donated conscionable $43,200 to Biden’s inauguration, while Meta and OpenAI didn’t lend astatine all.

In nan letters, Sens. Warren and Bennet necktie attraction to nan regulatory scrutiny nan Biden guidance has directed toward ample tech firms. “You personification a clear and nonstop liking successful obtaining favors from nan incoming administration: your institution and galore different Big Tech donors are already nan taxable of ongoing nationalist investigations and regulatory actions,” nan lawmakers write. “These donations raise questions astir corruption and nan powerfulness of patient money connected nan Trump administration, and Congress and nan nationalist merit answers.”

Biden echoed these concerns successful a farewell relationship this week, saying he was peculiarly worried astir nan “potential emergence of a tech business analyzable that could airs existent dangers for our country.”

Sens. Warren and Bennet personification posed respective questions to Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Uber, asking for their “rationale” down nan contributions arsenic bully arsenic “when and nether what circumstances” nan companies decided to make a donation. They’re giving nan companies until January 30th to respond.