Facebook Has Donated To 11 Of The 12 Senators Grilling Its Head Of Safety Today

Authored by forbes.com and submitted by zeverson

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

F acebook 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.

Subscribe to Forbes' Checks & Imbalances newsletter for an in-depth look at the politicians, businesses and money sloshing around Washington, D.C.

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

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.

ShalmaneserIII on September 30th, 2021 at 21:21 UTC »

So of 100 Senators total, how many have they not donated to?

caspercreep on September 30th, 2021 at 20:48 UTC »

Donation is such a weird way to describe a bribe.

flangle1 on September 30th, 2021 at 19:25 UTC »

Huh, it doesn't cost very much to buy a Senator.