A coalition of attorneys general are pushing Paramount Global and CBS to block Super Bowl ads from a Chinese company they believe is making products using forced labor, according to an exclusive letter obtained by the Daily Caller.
Attorney General of Montana Austin Knudsen alongside five other state attorneys general asked the media for cooperation Saturday to not run ads from Temu which is expected to spend a reported $15 million on ads during CBS’s Super Bowl broadcast on Feb. 11. The attorneys general believe the company is illegally making products with forced labor because the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party reported that Temu does not have any system in place to ensure compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the letter obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller says. (RELATED: Biden To Dodge Primetime Super Bowl Interview For Second Straight Year: Report)
“We write to urge CBS not to broadcast Super Bowl commercials from Temu. Congressional investigators believe Temu is illegally selling products made by forced labor in an area of China in which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is committing genocide,” the letter states. “CBS should not elevate a company profiting from forced labor and genocide during America’s biggest game.”
Attorney General of Arkansas Tim Griffin, Attorney General of Idaho Raúl Labrador, Attorney General of Iowa Brenna Bird, Attorney General of Mississippi Lynn Fitch and Attorney General of South Carolina Alan Wilson joined Knudsen in sending the letter.
Members of Congress have also accused PDD Holdings, Temu’s parent company, of being linked to the Chinese Communist Party, the letter states. A coalition of GOP lawmakers sent a similar letter, obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller, Thursday to Paramount Global and CBS asking them to pull the Temu ads from their broadcast.
A source close to the matter previously told the Daily Caller that anything Paramount Global puts up complies with U.S. law and regulations and with the company’s standards.
AGs Letter to CBS Re Temu 2.10.24 (1) by Daily Caller News Foundation on Scribd
The attorneys general added in the past that CBS and the National Football League have rejected “far less controversial” ads, the letter states. One ad, the letter states, was from a veteran-owned apparel company and narrated by a Benghazi survivor. CBS also previously rejected an ad that touted the benefits of medical marijuana, the letter states.
Each year, the Super Bowl brings in millions of viewers making the ad space highly coveted among companies. In 2023, Super Bowl viewership was at an all time high, making it the most watched telecast in history, according to Nielsen.
“The Super Bowl has memorialized some of sports’ most patriotic moments. In January 1981, a massive yellow bow on the Louisiana Superdome celebrated the return of American hostages from Iran five days earlier. A decade later, Whitney Houston sang her iconic rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner just 10 days after Operation Desert Storm began,” the letter states.
“The New England Patriots won the first Super Bowl after 9/11. And every year, the Super Bowl broadcasts images of American servicemen and women watching the game from the front lines around the world,” the letter continues.
“Given the virtual guarantee that Temu is selling products made with forced labor in China and its links to the CCP, CBS should not broadcast Temu’s commercials during the Super Bowl. Americans deserve better,” the attorneys general conclude.
