U.S. House panel refers Amazon to Justice Department amid competition probe

Five members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee have asked the U.S. Department Of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Amazon.com Inc for "potentially criminal conduct" by the company and some of its senior executives.

The letter, sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland, accuses Amazon of refusing to hand over information requested by antitrust investigators looking into the tech giant's competitive practices. Lawmakers allege said refusal "was an attempt to cover up what it calls a lie that the company told lawmakers about its treatment of outside sellers on its platform," the Journal writes.

The letter threatens to focus even greater scrutiny on Amazon as it seeks antitrust approval for its acquisition of MGM, and as lawmakers continue to weigh a raft of bills targeting competition in digital markets. And it suggests Amazon may face more legal troubles ahead beyond those directly related to its business practices.

Amazon responded that "all large organizations attract the attention of regulators, and we welcome that scrutiny. But large companies are not dominant by definition, and the presumption that success can only be the result of anti-competitive behavior is simply wrong."

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