Senator takes aim at Amazon, questions 'Melania' movie deal | Exclusive
USA TODAY
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic lawmakers are asking Amazon to explain why it paid $40 million to acquire first lady Melania Trump's film.
Democratic lawmakers are questioning Amazon over concerns that its film studio's deal for first lady Melania Trump's documentary failed to comply with federal anti-bribery laws.
In a March 15 letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, exclusively shared with USA TODAY in advance, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts and other lawmakers called on Amazon to answer questions about how the deal came to be.
Amazon MGM Studios bought "Melania" and the accompanying docuseries for $40 million, and spent $35 million more in marketing, according to the New York Times. The movie follows Trump through the weeks leading up to her husband's second inauguration. Despite harsh reviews and revealing little new about the first lady, it had a good opening weekend at the box office, bringing in $7 million.
Now lawmakers want to know if Amazon paid the "extraordinary sum" in order to gain favor with President Donald Trump's administration, they state in the letter.
"The fact that Amazon is seeking favorable treatment from the Trump Administration while paying a far-above-market sum to produce and promote the Trump family’s film raises questions about Amazon’s exposure under federal anti-bribery law," the letter states. "When corporate giants .... transfer tens of millions of dollars to the family of a sitting President, that not only raises questions about corporate governance but also risks eroding public trust in the fairness of our economic and political systems."
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