Tea partiers are defending an Indonesian paper company from paying tariffs, The New York Times reports this morning.
The Institute for Liberty, a tea party group, is campaigning for Indonesia-based Asia Pulp & Paper, one of the largest paper companies in the world, against a proposed tariff on Indonesian and Chinese paper.
The Institute’s president, Andrew Langer, created a video last fall comparing the tariff to colonial British trade policies. The group has also accused the company's critics, ranging from Greenpeace to Staples, of trying to block cheap imports, drive up prices, and stifle growth in developing countries.
The campaign is an unusual venture for a tea party group, but Langer said that it is important to ensure that working Americans are not paying more for products made in Asia.
The Times could not get an answer from Langer on who financed the initiative, but the paper offers a flow chart of the various interests involved.
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