Not sure where to redirect her anger at President Trump and her disappointment in the outcome of the Mueller report any longer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is slamming Facebook for helping the Russians interfere in the 2016 election.
The leader of the Democratic Party recently called the global social media platform, a “willing enabler of Russian interference in our election.” Her comment came despite the fact that she owns shares in the social networking company worth as much as $1 million.
Pelosi’s ire toward the California tech giant probably stemmed from a doctored video of her that made the rounds on the platform, that appeared to make the Speaker look drunk or otherwise impaired.
Her attack on Facebook came after the platform refused to take down the three-minute doctored video.
Brouhaha Over Doctored Videos
The video in question remained available on at least as one conservative Facebook page as of Friday, May 26, when Pelosi made her statements, where it has garnered millions of views, more than 30,000 comments and 11,000 reactions since being uploaded there at the start of that week.
“We have said all along, poor Facebook, they were unwittingly exploited by the Russians. I think wittingly because right now they are putting up something that they know is false. I think it’s wrong,” she told a local California TV station.
“I think they have proven — by not taking down something they know is false — that they were willing enablers of the Russian interference in our election,” she added.
The Speaker may have some harsh words for the social media giant, but that has not stopped her from investing in the company. Reportedly, Pelosi and her husband remain owners of Facebook stock, having bought shares priced between $100,000 and $250,000 during the company’s initial public offering in 2012.
Pelosi’s most recent fully detailed financial disclosure from 2017 shows that her current investment in Facebook is valued between $500,001 and $1,000,000.
Other Democrats joined Pelosi and criticized Facebook, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assailing the company during a commencement speech to Hunter College graduates in New York City on Wednesday.
“When Facebook refused to take down a fake video of Nancy Pelosi, it wasn’t even a close call,” Clinton told the graduates. “The video is sexist trash. And YouTube took it down but Facebook kept it up.”
However, for its part, Facebook remains defiant and standing behind its decision not to remove the video from the platform.
The head of NetChoice, a trade association for e-commerce, called Pelosi’s comments “hyperbolic” and “over-the-top.”
“Speaker Pelosi’s accusation that Facebook is a ‘willing enabler’ of Russian interference in our elections is false and over-the-top,” Carl Szabo told Fox News in a statement.
“It’s obvious that Facebook is hugely invested in ensuring that its platform won’t be misused to aid election interference.”