Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., hinted at future public testimony from Facebook officials concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election via the social media platform.
“I can only go by what I’ve heard them say publicly, and they’ve expressed they don’t have anything to hide, so a public hearing would be very appropriate,” Burr told reporters on Tuesday.
Burr said Facebook would likely testify in the fall.
Facebook announced earlier this month $100,000 was purchased for ads from June 2015 to May 2017 by a Russian “troll farm” called the Internet Research Agency, which has promoted pro-Russian propaganda. The money was connected to approximately 3,000 ads and 470 “inauthentic accounts and pages.”
Facebook provided special counsel Robert Mueller copies of the advertisements and information about the buyers. Mueller, along with multiple congressional committees, is examining if Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election and whether there are any connections between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Congressional investigators want access to Facebook’s full internal draft report on Russian meddling, according to the Washington Post, and are somewhat miffed that Mueller has been given greater access to information.
