Senators Press Tech Executives but Split on Russia’s Role in President Trump’s Win

Senators who called tech giants to Capitol Hill on Nov 1 to answer for their roles in Russia’s election interference differed along party lines over the Kremlin’s role in swaying the race, with Republicans offering an implicit defense of the legitimacy of President Donald Trump’s victory. After months of publicly sidestepping the issue, several Republicans used a high-profile hearing with executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter to dismiss the impact of Russia’s use of the sites to spread misinformation and buy ads to try to tip the election in President Trump’s favor. “A lot of folks, including many in the media, have tried to reduce this entire conversation down to one premise: Foreign actors conducted a surgically executed covert operation to help elect a United States president,” said  Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC). “I’m here to tell you this story does not simplify that easily.” The hearing, the second of three in two days for the executives, offered a rare view into the Senate committee’s investigation, which has largely played out over the past nine months in secured briefing rooms. Publicly and in private, Sens Burr and Committee Vice Chairman Sen Mark Warner (D-VA) have taken pains to preserve bipartisan comity in their work — and their success has set the committee apart from the other committees investigating Russia’s efforts. But the difference in their emphasis on Nov 1 also underscored the political realities buffeting their work.

In advancing an investigation tied to President Trump, a fellow Republican whom he supported in 2016’s election, Chairman Burr has been careful to make clear that the committee’s work is larger than an individual candidate, and he has repeatedly tried to tamp down expectations about just what it might find. Vice Chairman Warner has no such reticence. “We have a president who remains unwilling to acknowledge the threat that Russia poses to our democracy,” Sen Warner said. He said the use of automated messages, known as bots, and other social media tools were manipulated by Kremlin-linked actors to influence the election. “The fact is that this Russian weapon has already proven its success and cost effectiveness,” Sen Warner said.

"I don't think you get it," said Sen Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), whose home state includes all three companies. "What we're talking about is a cataclysmic change. What we're talking about is the beginning of cyber-warfare. What we're talking about is a major foreign power with sophistication and ability to involve themselves in a presidential election and sow conflict and discontent all over this country. We are not going to go away gentlemen. And this is a very big deal...You bear this responsibility. You've created these platforms. And now they are being misused. And you have to be the ones to do something about it. Or we will."