Sen. John Kennedy said Wednesday that plans to ask Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie what the company did behind the scenes, but said from what he knows, it doesn’t seem much different than what social media companies do.
“I want to know how it worked from the inside. The FBI and the Justice [Department] will get to the bottom of any legal violations,” Mr. Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, said on CNN.
Mr. Wylie is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the scandal involving Facebook users’ data. The British-based company, which has since shutdown, allegedly obtained the information under false pretenses and used it to sway voters in 2016. It was working for the Trump campaign at the time.
Mr. Kennedy said he believes the issue is more about how the data company obtained the information rather than what it did with the information. He said that he doesn’t see it any differently than other social media companies trying to sell other products.
“I don’t think Cambridge Analytica did anything that the other social media platforms like Facebook … do every day,” he said. “The alleged crime, or unlawful act, that Cambridge Analytica committed was obtaining the data in an unlawful manner.”
The New York Times reported Tuesday that the FBI and Department of Justice had launched an investigation into the case.
SEE ALSO: DOJ launching investigation into Cambridge Analytica: Report
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.