Online retailing behemoth Amazon.com has cut ties with Washington lobbying firms Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and Squire Patton Boggs, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
The changes took place about a week before US President Donald Trump accused Amazon in a tweet on Thursday of not paying enough tax, taking advantage of the US postal system and putting small retailers out of business.
Amazon had cut ties from the lobbying firms last Friday and in their place hired Paul Brathwaite of Federal Street Strategies LLC and Josh Holly of Holly Strategies, both of whom have previously worked as outside lobbyists for Airbnb and Oracle Corp, the report said, citing a source.
Amazon Once Again Targeted by US President Donald Trump in Tweets
Neither of the parties were immediately available for comment outside regular business hours.
The e-commerce giant employs about 15 lobbyists, according to earlier disclosures submitted to the US Senate, with another 15 outside lobbying firms who each assign more lobbyists to work on behalf of the company.
The retailer spent $15.4 million (roughly Rs. 100 crores) in 2017 on lobbying in Washington, up from $12 million a year earlier.
© Thomson Reuters 2018
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.