Parler’s Ties To Trump And Russia, Finances Under Scrutiny By House Democrats

Topline

House Democrats are looking into Parler’s finances and foreign ties as the suspended social media network comes under increased scrutiny following the attack on the U.S. Capitol building, with House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) sending a letter to the company Monday demanding it turn over documents regarding its associations with Russia and former President Donald Trump.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“Since the attacks, numerous Parler users have been arrested and charged for their roles, with the Department of Justice citing in several instances the threats that individuals made through Parler in the days leading up to and following the attack,” Maloney wrote.  “Individuals with ties to the January 6 assault should not—and must not—be allowed to hide behind the veil of anonymity provided by shell companies.”

Chief Critic

In a previous statement to Forbes, DDoS-Guard defended serving Parler but distanced itself from its potential role in the riots, saying the company “by no means endorses any radical organizations, extremism, terrorism or illegal activities.” “The company also does not support any political movement. The only policy that is close to DDoS-Guard is that of net neutrality,” the company said.

Tangent

Former Parler CEO John Matze told Axios that he did not actually want Trump to make a deal with Parler, saying he “didn’t like the idea of working with Trump, because he might have bullied people inside the company to do what he wanted.” Matze, who was fired from the company last week, said he feared retaliation from Trump if the company didn’t take the deal.

Key Background

Maloney’s letter to Parler comes after the lawmaker previously wrote to the FBI and encouraged them to investigate the company’s role in the Capitol riots. Parler became a haven for the far right before it was deplatformed, as users flocked to the platform due to its lax content moderation policies that allowed extremist content blocked by major networks like Facebook and Twitter. Apple, Google and Amazon all terminated their agreements with Parler following the Jan. 6 attack, citing posts on the platform that incited violence. Parler’s website currently says the platform will “resolve any challenge before us and plan[s] to welcome all of you back soon.” It is unclear how that will happen, however: a judge recently denied Parler’s request for a temporary restraining order that would force Amazon to put the site back online as legal proceedings move forward, and the company said in its lawsuit against Amazon that “without AWS, Parler is finished as it has no way to get online.”

Further Reading

Rep. Maloney Calls On FBI To Investigate Parler’s Role In Capitol Riot (Forbes)

The Russian Company Protecting Parler From Cyberattack: We Don’t Endorse ‘Radical Organizations Or Extremism’ (Forbes)

‘Not A Close Call’: Court Strikes Down Parler’s Request Asking Amazon To Put Site Back Online (Forbes)

Parler CEO Says He Was Fired After Tumultuous Month For Social Media Upstart (Forbes)