Blumenthal Slams Republican Efforts to “Bully & Browbeat” Social Media Platforms Ahead of November Election

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – At a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) rejected Republican efforts. “I am appalled that my Republican colleagues are holding this hearing literally days before an election, when they seem to want to bully and browbeat the platforms here to try to tilt them towards President Trump’s favor,” Blumenthal said “The timing seems inexplicable, except to game the ref, in effect.”

 Citing previous posts by President Trump that include “potentially dangerous and lethal misinformation and disinformation,” Blumenthal also pressed the companies on their plans to combat the spread of false information on Election Day and afterwards. “I want to know whether you have a plan – Facebook, Twitter, Google – a plan if the President uses your platforms to say on the day of the election that there is rigging, or fraud without any basis in evidence, or attempts to say that the election is over and the counting of votes must stop, either on November 4 or someday subsequent,” Blumenthal asked.

A selected transcript of Blumenthal’s first round of questions and answers is available below.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal: Thank you, Chairman and Ranking Member. I want to begin by associating myself with the very thoughtful comment made by the Ranking Member as to the need for broader consideration of issues of privacy and competition and local news. They are vitally important, and also with the comments made by my colleagues, Senator Klobuchar, about the need for antitrust review and I assume we will be examining some of these topics in November before the Judiciary Committee.

You know, I have been an advocate of reform for Section 230 for literally fifteen years. When I was Attorney General in the state of Connecticut, I raised this issue of the absolute immunity that no longer seems inappropriate. So I really welcome the bipartisan consensus of that we are seeing now that there needs to be constructive review.

But frankly, I am appalled that my Republican colleagues are holding this hearing literally days before an election, when they seem to want to bully and browbeat the platforms here to try to tilt them towards President Trump's favor.

The timing seems inexplicable, except to game the ref, in effect. I recognize that the referee analogy is not completely exact, but that is exactly what they’re trying to do. Namely, to bully and browbeat these platforms to favor President Trump's Tweets and posts.

And, frankly, President Trump has broken all the norms and he has put on your platforms potentially dangerous and lethal misinformation and disinformation. I will hold up one of them. This one, as you can see pertains to COVID. “We have learned to live with [the flu],” he says, “just like we are learning to live with COVID. In most populations, far less lethal.” He has said that, “children I would say almost definitely, but almost immune to this disease.” He has said about the elections, “big problems and discrepancies with mail-in ballots all over the USA. Must have final total on November 3.”

Fortunately, the platforms are acting to label or take down these kinds of posts, but my Republican colleagues have been silent. They have lost their phones or their voices, and the platforms, in my view have –

Technical break.

Blumenthal: I just want to say about disinformation from the President, there has been defining silence from my Republican colleagues and now we have a hearing that is in effect designed to intimidate, bully, browbeat the platforms that have labeled disinformation for what exactly what it is.

We are on the verge of a massive onslaught on the integrity of our election.

President Trump has indicated that he will potentially interfere by posting disinformation on Election Day or the morning after. The Russians have begun already interfering in our elections. We have all received briefings that are literally chilling about what they are doing, and the FBI and CISA have recently issued public alerts that "foreign actors and cyber criminals are likely to spread disinformation regarding 2020 results." They are making 2016 look like child's play in what they are doing.

And, so, President Trump and the Republicans have a plan which involves disinformation and misinformation. The Russians have a plan. I want to know whether you have a plan, Facebook, Twitter, Google, a plan if the President uses your platforms to say on the day of the election that there is rigging, or fraud without any basis in evidence, or attempts to say that the election is over and the counting of votes must stop, either on November 4 or someday subsequent.

I would like as to this question about whether you have a plan, a yes or no.

Mark Zuckerberg: We do. We have policies related to all of the areas that you just mentioned. Candidates or campaigns trying to delegitimize methods of voting or the election, candidates trying to prematurely declare victory, and candidates trying to spread voter suppression material that is misleading about how, when, or where to votes, so where we have taken a number of steps on that front.

Sundar Pichai: Senator, yes we definitely are robustly been planning for a while, and we rely on raising up news sources through moments like that. We have put closely partnered with the Associated Press to make sure we can provide users the most accurate information possible.

Jack Dorsey: We also have a plan, so our plan and our enforcement around these issues is pointing to more information and specifically state election officials. So we want to give the people using the service as much information as possible.

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