Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) denounced news that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had met with President Trump for a private dinner during his October visit to Washington, calling the move “corruption” on Twitter.
“This is how the government keeps working for giant corporations and the wealthy and well-connected,” Warren tweeted. “It’s no wonder that companies like Facebook have been allowed to consolidate economic and political power without any real accountability.”
This is how the government keeps working for giant corporations and the wealthy and well-connected. It's no wonder that companies like Facebook have been allowed to consolidate economic and political power without any real accountability.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) November 21, 2019
Warren promised to not “cozy up to Facebook when I’m president,” the latest barb in an ongoing public war between her campaign and the technology giant. In March, Warren proposed a plan to bring “structural changes to the tech sector to promote more competition.” Later, leaked audio revealed Zuckerberg calling Warren an “existential” threat to the company in July.
Last month, Warren responded to Zuckerberg’s decision to permit a wide range of political ads by saying that “Facebook is actively helping Trump spread lies and misinformation. Facebook already helped elect Donald Trump once. They might do it again—and profit off of it.”
News broke Thursday that Zuckerberg met with Trump and Facebook board member Peter Thiel for a private dinner in the White House during his October visit to D.C.
“As is normal for a CEO of a major U.S. company, Mark accepted an invitation to have dinner with the President and First Lady at the White House,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement to NBC News.