House Seeks to Investigate Parler’s Ties To Trump and Russia, Its Finances

As Facebook Twitter, and other social media giants belatedly began curtail the dissemination of to right wing extremist speech and disinformation (outright lies and falsehoods in common parlance) on their platforms, many of the "militia" crowd, white supremacists and anti-government extremists migrated to Parler which did little in the way of moderation to prevent hate speech and the fomenting of violence.  As noted by CNN, one of the founders and likely financial backers of Parler was Rebekah Mercer, the daughter of Robert Mercer, a hedge fund manager and the co-founder of the now-defunct political data-analysis firm Cambridge Analytica that was involved in the Russiagate scandal. The billionaire Mercers have been prominent supporters of Donald Trump and a host of extreme far right causes, including virulently anti-gay and Christofascist organizations. After the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Parler was largely shut down when Amazon Web Services kicked Parler off its platform only to be partial picked up by a Russian hosting platform.  Given Parler's role in providing a refuge for hate speech and extremism, House Democrats now want an investigation of Parler's finances and its ties to Trump, Russia.  Forbes looks at this development.  Here are article highlights:

House Democrats are looking into Parler’s finances and foreign ties as the suspended social media network comes under increased scrutiny following the attack on the U.S. Capitol building, with House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) sending a letter to the company Monday demanding it turn over documents regarding its associations with Russia and former President Donald Trump.

KEY FACTS:

·         After being deplatformed by Amazon Web Services following the Jan. 6 riots, Parler came back online in a limited capacity with the help of Russian hosting provider DDoS-Guard.

·         Russian disinformation was also reportedly “allowed to flourish” on Parler despite being removed on other social networks, Maloney noted.

·         The lawmaker referenced a BuzzFeed News report that Trump was in talks to receive a 40% ownership stake in Parler in exchange for using it as his primary social platform, though negotiations broke down after the Capitol attack.

·         Maloney also noted the apparent link between Parler and the events at the Capitol building as reasons to investigate the company, and a USA Today analysis that found “calls for civil war intensified” on the platform as Trump spoke during the rally that preceded the Capitol attack.

·         Maloney asked Parler to turn over information about anyone with a financial ownership interest in Parler, including the company’s creditors, as well as any agreements or “financing, gifts, or investment” involving Russian entities and all documents regarding its proposal to have Trump join the company.

Parler has not yet responded to a request for comment.

“Since the attacks, numerous Parler users have been arrested and charged for their roles, with the Department of Justice citing in several instances the threats that individuals made through Parler in the days leading up to and following the attack,” Maloney wrote.  “Individuals with ties to the January 6 assault should not—and must not—be allowed to hide behind the veil of anonymity provided by shell companies.”

Former Parler CEO John Matze told Axios that he did not actually want Trump to make a deal with Parler, saying he “didn't like the idea of working with Trump, because he might have bullied people inside the company to do what he wanted.” Matze, who was fired from the company last week, said he feared retaliation from Trump if the company didn’t take the deal.

Maloney’s letter to Parler comes after the lawmaker previously wrote to the FBI and encouraged them to investigate the company’s role in the Capitol riots. Parler became a haven for the far right before it was deplatformed, as users flocked to the platform due to its lax content moderation policies that allowed extremist content blocked by major networks like Facebook and Twitter. Apple, Google and Amazon all terminated their agreements with Parler following the Jan. 6 attack, citing posts on the platform that incited violence. Parler’s website currently says the platform will “resolve any challenge before us and plan[s] to welcome all of you back soon.” It is unclear how that will happen, however: a judge recently denied Parler’s request for a temporary restraining order that would force Amazon to put the site back online as legal proceedings move forward, and the company said in its lawsuit against Amazon that “without AWS, Parler is finished as it has no way to get online.”

In the CNN piece, Mercer bloviated about wanting to support "free speech" but the platform seems to have allowed out right sedition and possibly planning of the insurrection.  As is always the case with anything involving Trump, not the Russian connection.