WASHINGTON D.C. — Democracy Defenders Fund (DDF) today submitted a formal request to the Department of Justice calling for an investigation into whether Apple CEO Tim Cook violated federal law when he gave a highly valuable custom gold gift to President Trump during an official White House event in August.

The complaint, addressed to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and the U.S. Department of Justice, outlines how Cook presented Trump with an engraved glass disc mounted on a 24-karat gold brick base during a press conference in which Apple announced a $100 billion expansion of its operations in the United States.

Within minutes of receiving the gift, President Trump announced that Apple would be exempt from new tariffs. Later that day, the president signed an executive order  excluding Apple from a 50 percent tariff on imports from India. Apple faced billions in potential tariff-related costs due to its overseas manufacturing in India and stands to benefit enormously from the exemption President Trump granted within hours of receiving the gift. The timing of the exchange suggests the gift may have been intended as a reward for favorable treatment by the White House, the complaint states.

“The question is why a major corporation handed the President of the United States a high-value gift at the precise moment he was making a regulatory decision in their favor,” said Virginia Canter, chief counsel and director of ethics and anti-Corruption at Democracy Defenders Fund. “That kind of conduct demands scrutiny.”

The complaint states that the circumstances surrounding the gift raise serious legal questions under a federal statute that prohibits private individuals from giving anything of value to a public official “for or because of” an official act. A gratuity violates the law if it is given in recognition of a specific past or future official action.

Cook specifically addressed the gift to the president personally, stating that it was “designed for you,” and emblazoned the glass disc with “President Donald J. Trump” and “Apple American Manufacturing Program.” DDF contends that these details, combined with the gift’s value and the president’s immediate announcement of tariff relief, warrant a thorough investigation into whether the illegal gratuities statute was violated.

“We have laws in place to guard against undue influence in the halls of government,” said Chris Swartz, senior ethics counsel at Democracy Defenders Fund. “When the CEO of one of the world’s largest companies hands a gold bar to the president in the middle of high-stakes policy decisions, it risks degrading public trust and raises questions about undue influence.”

Read the complaint HERE

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Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.