Republican Colorado Rep. Ken Buck sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday demanding that the company provide information about its relationship with Chinese companies accused of using forced labor.
A Monday report from The Information detailed Apple’s relationship with seven Chinese suppliers that allegedly use forced labor programs associated with the Uyghur genocide. These allegations, if true, would conflict with Cook’s July 2020 congressional testimony that Apple does not use forced labor and would “terminate a supplier relationship if it were found.”
The company is currently lobbying against a bill that would prevent American companies from using forced labor in the Xinjiang region. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Banks Slams Apple’s ‘Support For Slavery’)
“I hope you can appreciate the seriousness of the allegations that your company’s supply chain sources products from at least seven companies that use forced labor: Advanced-Connectek, Luxshare Precision Industry, Shenzhen Deren Electronic Co., Avary Holding, AcBel Polytech, CN Innovations, and Suzhou Dongshan Precision Manufacturing Co.,” Buck wrote in the letter, obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller.
Buck is requesting that Apple explain its business connections with the seven companies named in The Information’s report, as well as any investigations conducted by Apple into the companies’ labor practices.
“I’m deeply concerned by Apple’s potential connection to the horrific crimes against humanity being committed against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing last year, Tim Cook condemned forced labor and said it would not be tolerated at Apple. The allegations detailed in this report directly contradict Cook’s testimony, and Apple needs to address these claims immediately,” Buck told the Daily Caller.
Buck, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, is a frequent critic of tech companies. He recently called for the federal government to break up Facebook.
Read the full letter here: