Rep. Karen Bass said Thursday that she hopes Facebook will show members of the Congressional Black Caucus the ads against Black Lives Matter during the company’s meeting with congressional leaders.
“We would like to see them because here’s the concern. If they were sending anti-Black Lives Matter messages to white supremacists, that could lead to violence like the violence that you saw in Charlottesville,” the California Democrat said on MSNBC.
Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg met this week with congressional leaders, including the Congressional Black Caucus, to discuss the Russian-backed ads in the 2016 election. Some of the ads reportedly included racist material aimed at the Black Lives Matter group.
“If those ads went out it could also really influence police departments to think that Black Lives Matter is a violent organization, which it is not. Because it’s really not an organization at all,” Ms. Bass said.
Ms. Sandberg said in an interview earlier Thursday that the company should release the ads publicly.
“Absolutely … we think it’s important they get the whole picture,” she said to Axios’ Mike Allen.
Members of Congress are investigating Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election and trying to determine if there was any collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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