House Dems to investigate Wal-Mart bribery allegations

A pair of top House Democrats wants Wal-Mart to answer recent allegations that the retail giant’s Mexican subsidiary embarked on an extensive bribery campaign.

Reps. Elijah Cummings (Md.) and Henry Waxman (Calif.) told Wal-Mart’s chief executive, Michael Duke, that they were investigating the matter and wanted an in-person meeting with company officials by the end of the week.

The letter from Cummings, the top Democrat at House Oversight, and Waxman, the ranking member at House Energy and Commerce, comes just days after The New York Times first reported that Wal-Mart spent more than $24 million to help feed its growth in Mexico.

“The New York Times report, which is based on thousands of documents and interviews with company officials, raises serious questions about potential violations of United States law, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” Cummings and Waxman wrote in their Monday letter.

Bloomberg also reported Monday that the Arkansas retail titan had become the subject of a Justice Department criminal probe.

As part of their investigation, Waxman and Cummings also said they are reaching out to former Wal-Mart executives mentioned in The Times story.

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