Biden Administration Official, Often Criticized For Big-Tech Ties, Met With Tim Cook, Andy Jassy In April 2021: Report

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo had meetings with high-profile corporate tech chiefs, including Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook and Amazon, Inc's (NASDAQ: AMZN) Andy Jassy in April 2021, Bloomberg reported, citing a copy of Raimondo's calendar it obtained.

Raimondo initiated the meeting with Jassy, which was held on April 5, 2021, while the meeting with Cook took place on April 21 at the behest of the Apple CEO, the report said.

Bloomberg noted that the calendar did not specify the agenda, although it isn't unusual for U.S. businesses to meet with the Commerce Department for discussing trade issues.

The report also noted that Raimondo met with CEOs of companies belonging to other industries such as Mary Barra of General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM).

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Raimondo's meetings with the tech stalwarts assume importance because she has been criticized for her ties to big techs. Left-leaning groups have alleged she acts as the Biden administration's mouthpiece for supporting policies benefiting corporate America, Bloomberg noted.

While Raimondo opposed antitrust legislation against the big U.S. tech companies in Europe, she supported similar legislation in the U.S., the report noted.

The release of the calendar of the commerce chief was in response to requests by activists, Bloomberg said. The closeness between the Commerce Department and some of the world's biggest corporations is concerning, Jeff Hauser, founder of government ethics group Revolving Door Project said, according to Bloomberg.

"The interests of big tech and the interests of the American people are not correlated," he reportedly said.