Amazon chief executive, Jeff Bezos, has pledged the full legal resources of his company to fight the travel ban instituted by Donald Trump against seven Muslim-majority nations.
In an email to employees sent on Monday afternoon, Bezos said that Amazon would be putting its legal and lobbying efforts behind the fight against the ban. A key avenue of opposition involves supporting the attorney general for Washington state, where Amazon is headquartered, in his lawsuit against Trump – the first confirmed legal action from a state against one of the new administration’s policies.
In an excerpt from Bezos’s email published by Recode, the Amazon head details some of the company’s intended actions: “We reached out to congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to explore legislative options. Our legal team has prepared a declaration of support for the Washington state attorney general who will be filing suit against the order. We are working other legal options as well.”
Bezos’s statement to Amazon employees is the second from Amazon since Trump’s ban was announced. On Saturday, the company released a less forceful statement declaring that “from the very beginning, Amazon has been committed to equal rights, tolerance and diversity – and we always will be.”
Since Amazon announced its action, other Washington-based companies have also announced their support for the state’s action. Travel service Expedia, whose chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, is an Iranian immigrant, has signed on backing the action, according to attorney general Bob Ferguson. On Sunday, Khosrowshahi told employees “The president’s order represents the worst of his proclivity toward rash action versus thoughtfulness. Ours is a nation of immigrants. These are our roots, this is our soul. All erased with the stroke of a pen.”
And Reuters reports that Microsoft is also working with the state, providing information about the order’s impact “in order to be supportive,” according to a spokesperson, who added “we’d be happy to testify further if needed.” Previously, Microsoft’s statements had been limited to expressing “concerns about the impact of the executive order on our employees”.
