Bloomberg Campaign Cuts Ties With Firm That Used Prison Labor

  • Prisoners made calls on candidate’s behalf, Intercept said
  • Bloomberg said he learned of arrangement from reporter
Photographer: Mark Makela/Getty Images North America
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Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said his presidential campaign has stopped working with a firm that provided phone bank services using prison labor.

The Intercept reported Tuesday that a third party working for a subcontractor has at least one call center operated out of a state prison in Oklahoma where incarcerated people made calls on behalf of Bloomberg’s campaign.

Bloomberg said his campaign immediately ended the arrangement after learning about it from a reporter. “We do not support this practice and we are making sure our vendors more properly vet their subcontractors moving forward,” Bloomberg said in a statement he posted on Twitter.