Dem lawmaker blasts Amazon over sale of white-supremacist merchandise

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is demanding answers from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos after a report found that his company has been profiting off of white-supremacist merchandise sold on the site.

In a letter sent to Bezos on Tuesday amid the internet giant’s “Prime Day” promotion, Ellison accused Amazon of not doing enough to stop the sale of products that promote hate speech. 

{mosads}“For a company with a policy prohibiting the sale of ‘products that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual, or religious intolerance or promote organizations with such views,’ there appear to be a disturbing number of groups with hateful, racist, and violent agendas making money using Amazon’s platform,” Ellison wrote.

Last week, a report released by the Partnership for Working Families and the Action Center on Race and the Economy found that white supremacist and Nazi merchandise was widely available on Amazon, including in the form of children’s clothing and toys.

The report also found Kindle e-books promoting hateful propaganda were available on the site. In his letter on Tuesday, Ellison noted that Amazon receives anywhere from 30 to 65 percent of Kindle revenue.

“I am alarmed that hate groups can make money by selling propaganda on Amazon, and that Amazon is able to profit from these transactions,” he wrote.

Ellison also sent a list of questions about how much money Amazon has made on such sales and how it enforces its policies against hate speech.

An Amazon spokesperson defended the company on Tuesday, pointing to its guidelines for third-party sellers and saying those who are found uncompliant face potentially “swift” removal.

“Third party sellers who use our Marketplace service must follow our guidelines and those who don’t are subject to swift action including potential removal of their account,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill.

Updated: 4:41 p.m.