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Matt Gaetz calls for DOJ to investigate Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for lying to Congress

Gaetz’s office announce Monday that he had filed a criminal referral against Zuckerberg alleging the tech-giant CEO had made “materially false statement to Congress while under oath” during two joint hearings in April 2018.
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for making false statements to Congress.

Gaetz’s office announce Monday that he had filed a criminal referral against Zuckerberg alleging the tech-giant CEO had made “materially false statement to Congress while under oath” during two joint hearings in April 2018.

Gaetz said Zuckerberg “repeatedly and categorically” denied Facebook “engaged in bias against conservative speech, persons, policies, or politics and also denied that Facebook censored and suppressed content supportive of President Donald Trump and other conservatives.”

However, Gaetz said a June 2020 report from the conservative Project Veritas had shown the majority of content filtered by Facebook’s artificial intelligence program was content in support of President Donald Trump or other Republic candidates.

“Oversight is an essential part of Congress’ constitutional authority,” Gaetz said in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr. “As a member of this body, I question Mr. Zuckerberg’s veracity, and challenge his willingness to cooperate with our oversight authority, diverting congressional resources during time-sensitive investigations, and materially impeding our work. Such misrepresentations are not only unfair, they are potentially illegal and fraudulent.”

Project Veritas is a conservative media outlet that bills itself as an undercover “guerrilla journalist” that exposes corruption in public and private institutions, but has been criticized for largely misrepresenting what it reports.

Facebook has called previous reports by Project Veritas “stunts.”

Gaetz said the Project Veritas report, which features undercover video of a purported Facebook “content moderator” saying if she sees someone in a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat, she “deletes them for terrorism.”

Gaetz said the report contradicts what Zuckerberg testified to before Congress in 2018.

Facebook did not responded to a request for comment by deadline.

“Facebook’s AI screening content is not politically neutral,” Gaetz said in his letter to Barr. “Neither are the moderators hired to review content flagged by the AI program. This stands in opposition to Mr. Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony, and violates the “good faith” provision of Section 230(c)(2)(A) of the Communications Decency Act.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook Responds to Growing App Store Controversy in Big Tech Hearing

On Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with the CEOs of Google, Amazon and Facebook, testified before the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel in a historic hearing about a yearlong government probe into anti-competitive behavior of large tech companies in the U.S.

For Apple, the most valuable company in the world, the issue at center is its App Store, which is the only way hundreds of millions of Apple device owners can purchase and install software. Apple has faced mounting criticism in recent years over its market power in mobile apps—and therefore smartphones (since you need to have an iPhone to get access to App Store apps.)

Congress Will Grill Bezos, Zuckerberg and Other Tech CEOs This Week: Key Preview

On Monday, the CEOs of Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon are expected to testify before the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel together for the first time to respond to allegations and controversies related to their companies’ monopolistic market power.

Due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai will most likely present their testimonies and answer questions virtually, according to Reuters. Still, the historic event is riddled with uncertainties as other pressing matters on Capitol Hill fill up lawmakers’ schedules.

The high-profile group hearing is the final part of the House Judiciary Committee’s yearlong investigation into anti-competitive behavior in large tech companies. The House antitrust subcommittee is expected to release a final report detailing the probe sometime this fall.

It took months of push and pull to confirm the attendance of all four CEOs, two of whom have never participated in such grilling before. Lawmakers had wanted to bring Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey to testify as well, but didn’t follow through.

Facebook’s Zuckerberg, Google’s Pichai and Apple’s Cook have all testified before Congress in recent years. For Bezos, it would be a first.