A top Democratic staffer is reportedly leaving his job at the Senate Commerce Committee to work at Facebook, according a Politico scoop on Thursday.
“John Branscome, the top Democratic staffer on the Senate Commerce Committee, is leaving for Facebook,” tweeted Politico tech reporter Emily Birnbaum. “He'll work on FB's federal policy team — making the leap from overseeing the tech companies to lobbying on their behalf.
"John Branscome's hiring marks a win for Facebook as the embattled company seeks to ingratiate itself with the Biden administration and congressional Democrats amid widespread criticism from both parties," the Politico article read.
Unsurprisingly, replies to the tweet said the move should be illegal and criticized the “revolving door” of politics.
“America is not a democracy when corporations are writing laws and setting policy,” one user tweeted. “The First Amendment separates church and state; we need a new amendment separating corporations and the state.”
“The revolving door now includes enabling fascism, '' another user tweeted.
Meanwhile, Birnbaum's colleague at Politico Tech Reporter John Hendel said some lawmakers lobbied to have Branscome tapped as commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission.
“Former Sen. Bill Nelson had pushed hard to have John Branscome tapped for an FCC commissioner role in recent years,” tweeted Hendel.
Facebook has become increasingly entwined with politics recently, with reports suggesting the platform will form an election commission to influence political content around the world. This would expand Facebook’s reach into politics outside of the United States.
The reported commission is cause for concern, as Facebook could use its abilities to censor content that is controversial or has been labeled as so-called “misinformation.”
The commission is expected to be announced just before the 2022 midterm elections in the United States.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact Facebook headquarters at 1-650-308-7300 and demand that Big Tech be held to account to provide clarity on “hate speech,” rules that seem to be applied inconsistently. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
