FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Yusef Robb, 323-384-1789
InvestigateRussia.org
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THE COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE RUSSIA SENDS LETTER TO CONGRESS RE: ZUCKERBERG TESTIMONY
APRIL 10, 2018 - The Committee to Investigate Russia is calling on members of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees and the House Energy and Commerce Committee to ensure their questioning of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg strongly focuses on thwarting an ongoing effort by the Putin regime to undermine the American electoral system and sow division within our nation.
The Committee to Investigate Russia sent the following letter to the appropriate Senate and House Committees:
Dear Honorable Members:
Russian government interests have weaponized Facebook and use the social network in a significant way to undermine the American electoral system and sow division within our nation.
We commend your committees for summoning Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before you today and tomorrow and appreciate the consumer protection concerns you undoubtedly will raise.
The Committee to Investigate Russia also calls on you to use this forum to enlist Mr. Zuckerberg and his company as full partners in the United States of America's fight to defend our nation from foreign attacks that undermine our democracy.
Through Facebook, Russia has been able to load, aim, and fire salvos of propaganda and misinformation at the American people.
Your committees should secure from Mr. Zuckerberg an unequivocal commitment to do everything possible to remove Facebook as a weapon in Vladimir Putin's arsenal, to acknowledge his role on the front lines of our nation's fight against Russian cyber aggression, and to serve as a model for other social media and online information companies moving forward.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Max Boot Military Historian and Foreign Policy Analyst
James Clapper Former Director of National Intelligence
Evelyn Farkas, Ph.D. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia
General Michael Hayden Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency
Norman Ornstein American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar
Rob Reiner Director, Actor, and Activist
Clint Watts Foreign Policy Research Institute Fellow and Former FBI Agent
BACKGROUND
Visit www.InvestigateRussia.org
The Committee to Investigate Russia's mission is to help Americans recognize and understand the gravity of Russia’s continuing attacks on our democracy. There is clear evidence that Russia has been attacking our country, but most people don’t have time to plow through hundreds of sources and connect the dots.
The Committee to Investigate Russia is about helping Americans understand this critical national security issue so they can hold our government accountable for protecting us from this grave threat. The Committee's website, www.InvestigateRussia.org, is the only comprehensive and real-time news clearinghouse on the Russia
investigations. The Committee also publishes a daily newsletter and reaches Americans through Facebook and Twitter.
During the Cold War, the threat from the Soviets was clear. It’s a lot harder to recognize today’s cyberattacks and espionage from Russia, but the goal is the same — to undermine our country. This isn’t about politics. This is about ensuring the Russians cannot wage war on us without Americans knowing about it and making sure our elected leaders do something about it.
Committee to Investigate Russia Advisory Board:
Max Boot Military Historian and Foreign Policy Analyst
James Clapper Former Director of National Intelligence
Evelyn Farkas, Ph.D. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia
General Michael Hayden Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency
Jeh Johnson Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
Michael Morell Former Acting Director of the CIA
Norman Ornstein American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar
Leon Panetta Former Secretary of Defense, Former Director of the CIA, and Former White House Chief of Staff
Rob Reiner Director, Actor, and Activist
Charles Sykes Conservative Commentator
Clint Watts Foreign Policy Research Institute Fellow and Former FBI Agent
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