Trump slams Facebook as lawmakers await ads amid Russia probe

[webfact]

Trump slams Facebook as lawmakers await ads amid Russia probe

 

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on proposed changes to the U.S. tax code at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. September 27, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Facebook Inc as "anti-Trump" and questioned its role during the 2016 presidential campaign, amid probes into alleged Russian interference in the election and possible collusion by Trump's associates.

 

His salvo came as the social media giant prepares to hand over 3,000 political ads to congressional investigators that it has said were likely purchased by Russian entities during and after last year's presidential contest.

 

Trump appeared to embrace the focus on the social media network in his comments on Wednesday, which also took aim at more traditional medial outlets, long targeted by the president as "fake news."

 

"Facebook was always anti-Trump. The networks were always anti-Trump," Trump said on Twitter, levelling the same charge against the New York Times and the Washington Post. "Collusion?"

 

Representatives for Facebook and the newspapers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's tweet.

 

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which is among those investigating Russia's role, said he expected to have the ads by next week and that they should be made public.

 

"You really need to see them ... to recognise how cynical an effort this was by the Kremlin, how they sought to just accentuate those divisions ... and drive American against American," Schiff told MSNBC, adding that Facebook and Twitter Inc executives should testify publicly about the issue.

 

"I have concerns about how long it took Facebook to realise the Russians were advertising on their network," Schiff told MSNBC, adding that he has spoken several times with the company's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

 

Facebook and other technology companies are coming under increased scrutiny amid the Russia investigations.

The probes, being conducted by several congressional committees along with the Department of Justice, have clouded Trump's tenure since taking office in January and threatened his agenda, which has yet to secure a major legislative victory.

 

Moscow has denied any collusion.

 

Trump himself has previously praised Facebook and credited it with helping him win the November election. His campaign has said it spent some $70 million on Facebook ads, and it also ran a live Facebook show.

 

His latest comments did not appear to affect shares of the company, which were up 1.4 percent at $166.50 a share in late morning trading after analysts raised their price target for the stock.

 

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, David Ingram and Makini Brice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-09-28

[Bobobirdiebuddy]

Buffoon in chief.  What an embarrassment.

[Somtamnication]

This guy appears more and more like a dictator wannabe. Very scary stuff!

[klauskunkel]

"Trump slams Facebook"

of course he did, he is a Twitter guy

[zaphod reborn]

Trump covers up for pro-Trump fake news facebook poster murder

[Get Real]

Facebook is a lawmaker??? Oh dear! And that man is choosen for president of the most powerful nation in the world??? What a scary reality!

It´s the laws in respective countries, that allows Facebook to be active in different ways in respective country.

I sincerely hope you read this Mr. Trump. That lesson was for free. Next stupidity revelation is going to cost money. 

[DM07]

Satire, come to life!

[attrayant]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"Facebook was always anti-Trump. The networks were always anti-Trump," Trump said on Twitter, levelling the same charge against the New York Times and the Washington Post.

 

Got news for you: the public is anti-Trump, too:
 

Quote

 

Trump Is Not Fit To Be President

 

President Donald Trump is not "fit to serve as president," American voters say 56 - 42 percent, and voters disapprove 57 - 36 percent of the job he is doing as president, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. 

 

 

 

Trump’s Approval Rating With Millennials is Absolutely Brutal

 

Overall, Trump has a 64% disapproval and 21% approval amongst all millennials. He fares even worse with African Americans (79% disapproval, 13% approval), Asian Americans (78%-11%) and Latinos (77%-11%). He does somewhat better amongst whites, with 53% disapproval and 30% approval.

 

 

 

Even conservative Rasmussen:

 

The latest figures include 26% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 47% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21. 

 

 

[Scott]

Posts with links to unapproved sources have been removed.  

[FreddieRoyle]

 Well here we are, almost a year after the election and CNN has had a year of pretty much 24/7 gibberish about Russiagate with not a shred of evidence turning up. Pathetic and embarrassing to now start up the notion that Russian trolls were posting anti-immigrant posts on Facebook which had the effect of making Clinton lose the election. Words can't describe the bizarre-ness of this situation. These MSM outlets need to be sued for libel, treason, whatever just get them shut down, it's gone beyond a joke. Facebook posts lost our Hill the election Boo-Hoo, get over it guys, your candidate sucked big-time and you lost. Field a wholesome candidate next time and play properly, thanks.

[craigt3365]

56 minutes ago, FreddieRoyle said:

 Well here we are, almost a year after the election and CNN has had a year of pretty much 24/7 gibberish about Russiagate with not a shred of evidence turning up. Pathetic and embarrassing to now start up the notion that Russian trolls were posting anti-immigrant posts on Facebook which had the effect of making Clinton lose the election. Words can't describe the bizarre-ness of this situation. These MSM outlets need to be sued for libel, treason, whatever just get them shut down, it's gone beyond a joke. Facebook posts lost our Hill the election Boo-Hoo, get over it guys, your candidate sucked big-time and you lost. Field a wholesome candidate next time and play properly, thanks.

Not a shred of evidence? What news source have you been reading? LOL

 

Russia has even apologized for the ad on Facebook! LOL

 

MSM is doing a great job of keeping us up to date on all this.  And all you've got is "your candidate sucked big-time and you lost."? Too funny.

[habanero]

In the words of Mark Zuckerburg,  "Trump says Facebook is against him. Liberals say we helped Trump. Both sides are upset about ideas and content they don't like.    "Zing"

[iReason]

Russians May Have Used Facebook to Push Pro-Trump Rallies During 2016 Election

"In an explosive new report, news site The Daily Beast says Facebook accounts believed to have been operated by Russian propagandists tried to rally Floridians for a "Florida Goes Trump!" effort; Trump supporters were asked to start a "patriotic state-wide flash mob" in the 17 cities"

 

“On August 20, we want to gather patriots on the streets of Floridian towns and cities and march to unite America and support Donald Trump!" an event page supporting the effort said, according to The Daily Beast."

 

"The account was ultimately taken down in August 2017, at the same time Facebook removed accounts believed to have been operated by Russia's Internet Research Agency."

http://fortune.com/2017/09/20/russians-facebook-trump-rallies/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-appear-to-use-facebook-to-push-pro-trump-flash-mobs-in-florida?source=twitter&via=mobile

[selftaopath]

4 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

"Trump slams Facebook"

of course he did, he is a Twitter guy

Will he cont. being a Twitter fanatic when he finds out they also had Russian trolls?  LOL  poor babyyyyyyyyy

[iReason]

DID JARED KUSHNER’S DATA OPERATION HELP SELECT FACEBOOK TARGETS FOR THE RUSSIANS?

“I called somebody who works for one of the technology companies that I work with, and I had them give me a tutorial on how to use Facebook micro-targeting,” Kushner told Steven Bertoni of Forbes." 

 

“We brought in Cambridge Analytica." 

 

"And I asked them how to scale this stuff . . . We basically had to build a $400 million operation, with 1,500 people operating in 50 states.”

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/09/jared-kushner-data-operation-russia-facebook

 

Cambridge Analytica

"Cambridge Analytica (CA) is a privately held company that combines data mining and data analysis with strategic communication for the electoral process."

 

"On May 18, 2017, Time Magazine reported that the US Congress is investigating CA in connection with Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election."

 

"The report alleges that CA may have coordinated the spread of Russian propaganda using its microtargetting capabilities."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica#Investigations_into_Russian_involvement_in_the_2016_US_Presidential_election

 

 

Robert Mercer is a major investor in Cambridge Analytica, and principal financier of Breitbart News and Steve Bannon,

vice president of Cambridge Analytica until he joined the Trump campaign:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mercer_(businessman)

[selftaopath]

4 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

"Trump slams Facebook"

of course he did, he is a Twitter guy

Will he cont. being a Twitter fanatic when he finds out they also had Russian trolls?  LOL  poor babyyyyyyyyy

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, habanero said:

In the words of Mark Zuckerburg,  "Trump says Facebook is against him. Liberals say we helped Trump. Both sides are upset about ideas and content they don't like.    "Zing"

In the words of Mark Zuckerberg:

 

"Mark Zuckerberg said he regretted dismissing concerns about the Facebook’s role in influencing the US presidential race, his latest acknowledgement that misinformation on the platform has affected elections.

Shortly after Trump’s surprise victory, the Facebook CEO had brushed aside charges that Facebook had had an impact on the race, calling it a “pretty crazy idea” and saying that voters “make decisions based on their lived experience”. But in a post Wednesday directly responding to Donald Trump’s tweet labeling Facebook “anti-Trump”, Zuckerberg expressed remorse for his earlier statements rejecting concerns about the dangers of propaganda and fake news on Facebook."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/27/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-2016-election-fake-news

"Zing Zing Zing!"

[habanero]

30 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

In the words of Mark Zuckerberg:

 

"Mark Zuckerberg said he regretted dismissing concerns about the Facebook’s role in influencing the US presidential race, his latest acknowledgement that misinformation on the platform has affected elections.

Shortly after Trump’s surprise victory, the Facebook CEO had brushed aside charges that Facebook had had an impact on the race, calling it a “pretty crazy idea” and saying that voters “make decisions based on their lived experience”. But in a post Wednesday directly responding to Donald Trump’s tweet labeling Facebook “anti-Trump”, Zuckerberg expressed remorse for his earlier statements rejecting concerns about the dangers of propaganda and fake news on Facebook."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/27/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-2016-election-fake-news

"Zing Zing Zing!"

What's your point?  My point was, kind of sounds like what goes on here. 

[ilostmypassword]

8 minutes ago, habanero said:

What's your point?  My point was, kind of sounds like what goes on here. 

It's not enough for you to know that it's your point. You have to somehow communicate that to others within that post.

 

[oxo1947]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on proposed changes to the U.S. tax code at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. September 27, 2017

As someone who doesn't have a dog in this race---I think some might be missing  what might really very worrying to... ..

Facebook

Amazon.. (read Washington Post)

Satrbucks

Apple

McDonalds

And most of Forbes fortune 500 top American companies

 

They all seem to Irish. Something that a tax dodger like Trump knows only to well, and is trying to alter. I am not into conspiracy theories , but we are talking "Trillions" here,  that should be paid to the USA not Billions.

 

"Apple alone has avoided paying $66 billion in U.S. taxes by diverting its global revenue away from the United States, according to Citizens for Tax Justice, a progressive tax policy group based in Washington, D.C." 

  The prevalence of tax-avoidance schemes among American corporations is hard to overstate. Fortune 500 companies have amassed more than $2 trillion overseas, denying the U.S. Internal Revenue Service a staggering $695 billion in taxes.

 

The proposals that are being talked about, is (The Carrot) to lower the Company rate.

&/or (The Stick) to bring in what is called a “full-inclusion” system, that would subject all U.S. corporate revenue to American taxes regardless of where the money is earned or stashed. A company would be able to deduct taxes paid in foreign countries from its U.S. bill (to avoid double taxation), but this system would eliminate all deferrals. There must be some very rich "Irish" companies who are yearning for the days gone past of the Obama era, when they could be just left alone to make their money, before this complete idiot got elected.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nigel Garvie]

5 minutes ago, oxo1947 said:

As someone who doesn't have a dog in this race---I think some might be missing  what might really very worrying to... ..

Facebook

Amazon.. (read Washington Post)

Satrbucks

Apple

McDonalds

And most of Forbes fortune 500 top American companies

 

They all seem to Irish. Something that a tax dodger like Trump knows only to well, and is trying to alter. I am not into conspiracy theories , but we are talking "Trillions" here,  that should be paid to the USA not Billions.

 

"Apple alone has avoided paying $66 billion in U.S. taxes by diverting its global revenue away from the United States, according to Citizens for Tax Justice, a progressive tax policy group based in Washington, D.C." 

  The prevalence of tax-avoidance schemes among American corporations is hard to overstate. Fortune 500 companies have amassed more than $2 trillion overseas, denying the U.S. Internal Revenue Service a staggering $695 billion in taxes.

 

The proposals that are being talked about, is (The Carrot) to lower the Company rate.

&/or (The Stick) to bring in what is called a “full-inclusion” system, that would subject all U.S. corporate revenue to American taxes regardless of where the money is earned or stashed. A company would be able to deduct taxes paid in foreign countries from its U.S. bill (to avoid double taxation), but this system would eliminate all deferrals. There must be some very rich "Irish" companies who are yearning for the days gone past of the Obama era, when they could be just left alone to make their money, before this complete idiot got elected.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't think the Apples and Starbucks of this world should worry, the EU is on their case certainly, but the Tories will use Brexit to turn the UK into a low cost low pay tax haven. On the other hand the Irish who have helped these companies so much with their tax avoidance policies (And got their own little cut as thanks) must be getting worried. Rich English Tories are no doubt already preparing to bring their money back from the Cayman islands. 

[boomerangutang]

3 hours ago, habanero said:

In the words of Mark Zuckerburg,  "Trump says Facebook is against him. Liberals say we helped Trump. Both sides are upset about ideas and content they don't like.    "Zing"

The more that's revealed about FB's taking ads for the campaign, the worse it will look for Zuckerburg. 

 

If I were in charge of FB at the time, I would have realized what was happening, and would have declined the ads, even though it meant saying 'no' to hundreds of thousands of $$'s in ad revenue.  Zuckerburg has no such scrupples. He would take money from anyone for any reason.

 

Trump is trying to obfuscate/confuse the issue, but as usual, it won't work. Both Trump and Z know the ads were paid for by Russian operatives, and both probably know that the crafting of the ads were done by paid Trump operatives.   

[mike324]

As much as I dislike Trump, I think using technology to your advantage is fair game. I mean people do it with TV ads, perhaps Trump had a bigger budget and put it all on social media which is where it counts nowadays.

 

Trumps just needs to focus on real problems instead of NFL and social media issues. Has he talk about any meaningful policies at all lately? 

[Opl]

"Paul Horner, key distributor of fake news during 2016 election, dies at 38

Authorities report evidence of accidental overdose in death of Horner, who said he believed his actions had won Trump the White House"

 

Horner, who published fraudulent articles on Facebook and websites he set up, claimed he was the reason Donald Trump was elected in November.

"Among Horner's creations was a false claim that former President Barack Obama was both gay and a radical Muslim.

Mr Trump's son Eric, and campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, posted one of Horner's fake news items about protesters being paid $3,000 to demonstrate against the Republican candidate."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41422827

 

[boomerangutang]

33 minutes ago, Opl said:

"Paul Horner, key distributor of fake news during 2016 election, dies at 38

Authorities report evidence of accidental overdose in death of Horner, who said he believed his actions had won Trump the White House"

Horner, who published fraudulent articles on Facebook and websites he set up, claimed he was the reason Donald Trump was elected in November.

"Among Horner's creations was a false claim that former President Barack Obama was both gay and a radical Muslim.

Mr Trump's son Eric, and campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, posted one of Horner's fake news items about protesters being paid $3,000 to demonstrate against the Republican candidate."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41422827

                That makes at least 2 of Trump's dirty tricksters who have died since the election.  The other was an elder man who paid millions to help the Russkies dig fake dirt on HRC.  

   

           I predict many more articles like the one above, articulating Trump's people directly having a hand in publishing fake news.  Mainstream media don't want to say it, but I will:  massive fake news campaigns by Trumpsters + Russian agents had a big effect on many voters who voted against HRC.   One job ahead for Mueller's team is to follow the money:  who paid it, and who rec'd it, ....and for what specifically.

 

We can add the name Zuckerburg to Comey (and Horner), as people who helped Trump get elected by way of dirty tricks.

[FreddieRoyle]

18 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Not a shred of evidence? What news source have you been reading? LOL

 

Russia has even apologized for the ad on Facebook! LOL

 

MSM is doing a great job of keeping us up to date on all this.  And all you've got is "your candidate sucked big-time and you lost."? Too funny.

OK Craig I'll accept that you are right. When the next election rolls along, don't change the strategy, field some immoral skank as a candidate- propped up by burly medics, brand the opposing side as racist deplorables again. And if you lose, blame the Ruskies!

 

But seriously, it's time to call off the hounds, your team played a terrible game, you lost. Get over it, and work towards a better(more positive) strategy for electoral victory. The danger in this non acceptance of Trump/Republicans is what happens when the Dems finally win an election, but you have lost the precepts of democracy? Dangerous game you play now.

[selftaopath]

10 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

                That makes at least 2 of Trump's dirty tricksters who have died since the election.  The other was an elder man who paid millions to help the Russkies dig fake dirt on HRC.  

   

           I predict many more articles like the one above, articulating Trump's people directly having a hand in publishing fake news.  Mainstream media don't want to say it, but I will:  massive fake news campaigns by Trumpsters + Russian agents had a big effect on many voters who voted against HRC.   One job ahead for Mueller's team is to follow the money:  who paid it, and who rec'd it, ....and for what specifically.

 

We can add the name Zuckerburg to Comey (and Horner), as people who helped Trump get elected by way of dirty tricks.

45's dirty tricksters "dying" reminds me of what happens to Putin's critics.  Maybe 45 and Putin are communicating on Twitter? 

[Scott]

Troll post reported and removed.  

 

[craigt3365]

2 hours ago, FreddieRoyle said:

OK Craig I'll accept that you are right. When the next election rolls along, don't change the strategy, field some immoral skank as a candidate- propped up by burly medics, brand the opposing side as racist deplorables again. And if you lose, blame the Ruskies!

 

But seriously, it's time to call off the hounds, your team played a terrible game, you lost. Get over it, and work towards a better(more positive) strategy for electoral victory. The danger in this non acceptance of Trump/Republicans is what happens when the Dems finally win an election, but you have lost the precepts of democracy? Dangerous game you play now.

What an absolutely bizarre and horrible thing to say.  You've lost the plot.

[boomerangutang]

                            There are still a lot of Americans who are determined to stay on the side of ignorance and prejudice.  If you're an American liberal, you somehow have to accept it - for now.  You don't like.  For example, what just happened among redneck voters in Georgia, but you have to accept that it's happening.  There's are still a lot of ignorant and sick-minds.  

 

                   Georgian right wingers had a choice to vote for a right-wing ding dong, or a dangerous racist, and they chose the worse of the two.  Sad times for the USA.   If the founding fathers were around today, they'd be openly weeping.