Senate Challenges Facebook, Twitter, Google to Release Russian Ads

The chairman of the Senate’s Russia-Trump probe on Wednesday tacitly challenged Google, Twitter and Facebook to release ads pushing Russia propaganda to an unknowing American audience  after saying the congressional investigators will not do so themselves.
Sen. Richard Burr, the North Carolina Republican chairing the intelligence committee, said “we don’t release documents provided to the committee,” to include thousands of ads the committee has begun receiving from Facebook . The companies, however, are free to release the ads themselves, Burr said, adding to the intensifying political pressure on the Silicon Valley titan.
“At the end of the day, it’s important the public sees these ads,” said Burr’s Democratic vice chairman, Mark Warner of Virginia.
Adam Schiff,Warner’s Democratic counterpart atop the House intelligence committee, added to the push. “It is my strong opinion that all of the Facebook advertisements purchased by the Russians should be made public,” Schiff said Wednesday afternoon, adding: “I also strongly believe that the RT ads on Twitter should be made public; a review of a representative sample reveals that they are almost entirely designed to push Russian news coverage adverse to Secretary Clinton’s campaign.”
Google, Twitter and Facebook did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s requests about releasing the ads. Facebook indicated to The Daily Beast last month that it was disinclined to release those paid ads because of ongoing inquiries by Congress and Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
“We have had incredible cooperation by those social media companies that have been in,” Burr said in a Wednesday press conference billed as an update on the investigation.

“We have to get the universe first” of Russian activity on social media, Warner cautioned. “I was concerned the first pass was not a good enough pass. … Their actions need to match their public statements  Warner said.