Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended himself on Monday afternoon after receiving pushback over a report that he has recently held a string of private meetings with conservative politicians, pundits and journalists.
Behind closed doors over the past several months, Politico reported, Zuckerberg has been meeting with top GOP figures, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Fox News host Tucker Carlson and conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt.
{mosads}The meetings, many of which have reportedly taken place in Zuckerberg’s California homes, reportedly addressed issues such as allegations that Facebook routinely censors right-wing voices, claims for which there is little evidence and that Facebook has vehemently denied.
“There’s some press today discussing dinners I’ve had with conservative politicians, media and thinkers,” Zuckerberg posted on Facebook following Politico’s report. “To be clear, I have had dinners with lots of people across the spectrum on lots of different issues all the time.”
“Meeting new people and hearing from a wide range of viewpoints is part of learning,” Zuckerberg added. “If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you do!”
According to Politico, the dinner attendees have also included commentator Ben Shapiro, a fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, and Fox News contributor Byron York.
A senior Trump administration official told Politico, “The White House is looking for meaningful steps from Facebook on a number of fronts” and cited “competition, free speech for everybody including conservatives, and privacy. Nominal outreach won’t cut it.”
Over three days in September, Zuckerberg came to Washington, D.C., to meet with a several of his toughest critics in Congress. The embattled CEO held a private dinner with Democrats arranged by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), met with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and huddled with the House lawmakers investigating Facebook and other big tech companies for antitrust violations.
He also dedicated a full day to meetings with Republicans, including Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and several top Republicans in the House.
The meetings were described as a listening tour, offering Zuckerberg a chance to hear directly from lawmakers, many of whom are working on legislation that could directly impact Facebook’s business.
As part of his D.C. visit, Zuckerberg met with President Trump in the Oval Office, a meeting that both parties described in positive terms.
The tech executive is set to return to Washington, D.C., later this month when he testifies before the House Financial Services Committee about Facebook’s new digital currency project, Libra.
His meetings with Republicans come as the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice are ramping up investigations into Big Tech’s market power, weighing whether companies, including Facebook, have violated the country’s antitrust laws.
“The discussion in Silicon Valley is that Zuckerberg is very concerned about the Justice Department, under [Attorney General William] Barr, bringing an enforcement action to break up the company,” one former government official told Politico.