The grilling of Apple is best understood as a shakedown by politicians upset with Apple for not playing the Washington game that yields contributions, power, and personal wealth for congressmen and their aides.

◼ Apple becomes latest target of the Beltway Shakedown - Timothy P. Carney/Washington Examiner @TPCarney

Apple doesn't have a political action committee to fund incumbents' re-elections. Apple doesn't hire many congressional staff or any former congressmen as lobbyists. Apple mostly minds its own business -- and how does that help the political class?

...The thing to watch now: Does Apple make peace with Washington? Does it start a PAC? Does it hire the Podesta Group and employ Levin's aides?

Or will Apple try to stand up to the Beltway Shakedown.



◼ Rand Paul blasts Congress for attacking Apple over taxes - RT

Sen. Rand Paul is outraged that Congress held a hearing to “bully one of America’s greatest success stories.” The Kentucky lawmaker believes Apple was unfairly targeted for trying to minimize its taxes, and that the company is owed an apology.

“It’s absurd for Congress to vilify businesses like Apply for wanting to minimize their tax code just like every other American rightly does,” Paul wrote on his Twitter account after the hearing.

“If you want to chase companies like Apple away, continue to vilify them,” he wrote in a separate Tweet. “Congress should be giving Apple an award today.”

...“Tell me one of these politicians up here who doesn’t minimize their taxes,” Paul told the committee. “Tell me what Apple’s done that’s illegal… I’m offended by the spectacle of dragging in American companies for doing something that isn’t illegal.”

Paul also said that “if anyone should be on trial, it should be Congress.”

...Paul continued to stand by his beliefs, blaming Congress for creating a “bizarre and byzantine” tax code that created the mess and going after an American job provider that employs 600,000 people.

◼ Rand Paul Goes Nuclear on "Spectacle" Hearing on Apple's Taxes - Kevin Glass/Townhall