Today, American Principles Project (APP) sent a letter to Republican members of Congress and their staff cautioning them about the proliferation of Big Tech money and influence among advocacy groups on the right.
The letter, authored by APP’s director of policy and government affairs Jon Schweppe, accuses Google, Facebook and other Big Tech firms of “undermining our constitutional regime” through its funding of conservative groups as part of a larger strategy to “avoid scrutiny on the Right.” Schweppe also warns GOP members to be aware of groups’ funding sources before meeting with them:
“I caution all of you to carefully consider your interactions with Big Tech-funded groups, especially when discussing issues related to Section 230, antitrust, common carrier regulations, and political appointments to relevant regulatory bodies, including the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Election Commission, and Federal Communications Commission.
“Further, prior to accepting any meetings, Congressional staff should do their best to determine whether the participants receive funding from Big Tech. While it is prudent to hear arguments about public policy made in good faith, it is foolish to ignore the presence of private financial interests. Make no mistake, a meeting with an organization that takes notable sums of money from Google is no different than a meeting with a member of Google’s Public Policy team. In far too many cases, the agenda of such organizations will be wholly compromised, singularly reflecting the agenda of their Big Tech patrons.”
Schweppe further detailed his motivation for the letter and its importance in a post on Substack this morning. You can read his full piece here.
