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A cardboard cutout of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, dressed up as the QAnon Shaman, stands on the National Mall ahead of a March hearing on social media’s role in spreading misinformation.
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Facebook has donated $190,000 to the campaigns and political-action committees of senators questioning one of its executives Thursday, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.
All but one member of the 12-person Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security has received money from the social-media behemoth, which sent its global head of safety, Antigone Davis, to Capitol Hill as controversy swirls around a series of investigations in the Wall Street Journal.
The leading recipient of donations on the panel is Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). His campaign and Hawaii PAC have accepted $35,000 from Facebook. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is a close second, coming in at $31,500.
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Facebook’s contributed $15,000 to the subcommittee’s chair, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and $10,500 to the top Republican on the panel, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
The breakdown of Facebook’s donations to other Senators on the committee is
- Jerry Moran (R-Kan), $21,000
- Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), $16,000
- Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), $15,000
- Todd Young (R-Ind.), $10,000
- Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M), $7,000
- Tammy Baldwin (D.Wisc.), $6,500
The sole holdout is Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), whose campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry. The committee will hold another hearing on Facebook next week.
The campaign and PAC of Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) have accepted $35,000 from Facebook’s PAC.
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
I took an unusual route to get here. In a past life, I worked as a travel and food writer, which is how I got the assignment in 2016 to cover the grand opening of the
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I took an unusual route to get here. In a past life, I worked as a travel and food writer, which is how I got the assignment in 2016 to cover the grand opening of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., just a couple miles from my home. When Trump won the election and refused to divest his business, I stayed on the story, starting a newsletter called 1100 Pennsylvania (named after the hotel’s address) and contributed to Vanity Fair, Politico and NBC News. I’m still interested in Trump, but I’ve broadened my focus to follow the money connected to other politicians as well—both Republicans and Democrats.