A congressional committee has accused corporate giant Amazon of lying under oath about ways it blocks competition.

Here’s some of what the House Judiciary Committee said in a letter last week to Attorney General Merrick Garland:

We write to alert the Department of Justice to potentially criminal conduct by Amazon and certain of its executives.

Last Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on the Judiciary (Committee) conducted an extensive investigation into competition in digital markets. During that investigation, and in follow-up inquiries, Amazon engaged in a pattern and practice of misleading conduct that suggests it was “acting with an improper purpose” “to influence, obstruct, or impede” the Committee’s investigation and inquiries.

In its first appearance before the Committee during the investigation, Amazon lied through a senior executive’s sworn testimony that Amazon did not use any of the troves of data it had collected on its third-party sellers to compete with them. But credible investigative reporting showed otherwise.

Amazon repeatedly endeavored to thwart the Committee’s efforts to uncover the truth about Amazon’s business practices. For this, it must be held accountable. We therefore refer this matter to the Department to investigate whether Amazon or its executives obstructed Congress or violated other applicable federal laws.

Tell Attorney General Merrick Garland:

We urge you to fully investigate whether Amazon lied to Congress about its anti-competitive tactics and to prosecute the company and its executives for any wrongdoing.

Add your name now.

Thank you for taking action.

For justice,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

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