WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo yesterday requesting that the Commerce Department’s Office of Antiboycott Compliance launch an investigation into whether Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever’s anti-Israel boycott violates the Export Administration Act. This act prohibits U.S. companies or businesses from making business decisions intending to comply with, further, or support an unsanctioned foreign boycott.

Read the letter HERE or more in the New York Post article, Sen. Rick Scott calls on Department of Commerce to launch probe into Ben & Jerry’s over Israel ban, below:

“Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is calling on the Department of Commerce to launch an investigation into Ben & Jerry’s for banning sales in parts of Israel, arguing that the ice cream conglomerate’s boycott of the West Bank may violate the Export Administration Act. 

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In a letter sent to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Tuesday, Scott accused Ben & Jerry’s of antisemitism, asserting he believes a probe is necessary to see if the ban is in violation of the law. 

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Under the Export Administration Act of 1969, the president is directed to ‘prohibit compliance with or support of any foreign boycott against a country which is friendly to the United States, with specified exceptions.’

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The Florida Republican took aim at the company’s statement which said remaining in the area is ‘inconsistent with [their] values; and because of ‘concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners,’ and noted that Ben & Jerry’s — which has clashed with its parent company, Unilever, over the brand’s presence in the region – its board had been calling for a ‘withdraw ice cream sales from the region for years.’

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The Florida Republican called for the company to be held ‘fully accountable’ if the boycott is found unlawful.

‘I am urging you to launch an investigation to determine if Ben & Jerry’s or Unilever has violated the Export Administration Act. Such boycotts of foreign countries are in violation of statute and horribly anti-Semitic,’ he concluded. 

‘They have no place in the United States, and in conjunction with the Office of Antiboycott Compliance and the Department of Justice, I ask that you determine if these entities are violating statute, and if so, to hold them fully accountable.’”

Read the full article in the New York Post HERE.

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