‘Brazen Corruption’: Elizabeth Warren Demands Answers From Rolex Chief Executive About Trump’s Invite to U.S. Open

Senator Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers from Swiss watch manufacturer Rolex about President Trump’s presence in the company’s luxury box at the U.S. Open tennis tournament earlier this month. The senator is asking whether the company’s chief executive is trying to curry favor with the White House in exchange for avoiding Mr. Trump’s tariffs. Ms. Warren, along with other liberal colleagues, has been demanding answers from several companies about their relationships with the administration and how they appear to be getting relief on import taxes. Ms. Warren has sent letters to the leaders of Apple and Nvidia on the topic, and is now accusing Rolex of seemingly trying to get on Mr. Trump’s good side. Ms. Warren’s letter to Rolex’s CEO was first reported by CNBC. “The invite came just weeks after the Administration announced steep tariffs on Swiss goods — including Rolex watches — and raises questions about whether you are cultivating a relationship with President Trump in attempts to secure lucrative tariff exemptions for Rolex products,” Ms. Warren wrote to the Rolex chief executive, Jean-Frederic Dufour, on Wednesday. “It would be deeply troubling if your efforts provided another example of the Trump Administration’s brazen corruption and capitulation to special interests,” she continued. Ms. Warren said it appears Rolex is taking a page from “Apple and Nvidia’s playbook” in an effort to avoid the tariffs. Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, donated $1 million to Mr. Trump’s inaugural committee, something he did not do in 2017, and recently gave Mr. Trump a custom gold and glass plaque commemorating Apple’s new investments in America. Chip manufacturer Nvidia struck a deal with the administration over the summer that will allow the company to sell chips in China in exchange for 15 percent of revenues going to the federal government. “Given the President’s record of doling out special treatment to CEOs who are able to woo him with flattery, payoffs, or both, the timing of his attendance at the match in the Rolex box is concerning,” Ms. Warren wrote to Mr. Dufour on Wednesday. She is asking Mr. Dufour to respond to a number of questions by October 8, including, “Why did Rolex invite the President to attend the U.S. Open in the Rolex box earlier this month?” Also: “Besides the seats in the Rolex box, at any time, have you offered any gift or other item of value to the President or members of his family?”Ms. Warren further asks the Rolex chief to “describe your discussions with President Trump and other Administration officials both at the match and in the lead up,” and to “describe any discussions you had with President Trump and other Administration officials since the match.”She is also seeking answers about the company’s projected revenues based on the current 39 percent tariff rate if it does remain in place. Rolex is not the only company that has come under Ms. Warren’s microscope in recent days. On Tuesday, she accused Nexstar and Sinclair — two broadcasting companies — of taking comedian Jimmy Kimmel off the air in an effort to curry favor with the Trump administration. In a letter sent to both companies, Ms. Warren and three other lawmakers — Senators Ron Wyden, Chris Van Hollen, and Ed Markey — demand answers about why both companies decided to pre-empt the show. “This series of events raises serious questions about whether Nexstar and Sinclair responded to Trump officials’ warnings by removing Mr. Kimmel’s show, not only to avoid regulatory backlash from the FCC, but also to influence the Trump administration’s review of your pending deals,” the letter, authored by Ms. Warren, states. “If you suspended a late-night comedian’s show in part to seek regulatory favors from the administration, you have not only assisted the administration in eroding First Amendment freedoms but also create the appearance of a possible quid-pro-quo arrangement that could implicate federal anti-corruption laws,” the senators wrote.

‘Brazen Corruption’: Elizabeth Warren Demands Answers From Rolex Chief Executive About Trump’s Invite to U.S. Open

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