Chuck Schumer Bags $50k in Donations, Job for His Daughter from Facebook
Facebook is facing new scrutiny after revelations have surfaced of the company’s close relationship with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat.
According to the New York Post, Facebook employees have given Schumer about $50,000 in donations and the social media giant has given his daughter, Alison Schumer, a job.
And it’s no small, insignificant position either.
The Post reported that Schumer works as a product marketing manager. According to the job site Glassdoor, the managerial job could fetch on average $160,000 a year.
According to the Post, Alison Schumer worked for Facebook from 2011 to 2013, then rejoined the company in 2017.
Moreover, it’s not just low-level employees who have been contributing to Schumer’s campaign coffers.
In 2013, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg contributed $5,200 to Schumer, according to the Post. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg contributed $5,400 to Schumer’s re-election campaign in 2016, the Post reported.
Facebook’s general counsel, Colin Stretch, also contribued $5,400 to Schumer in 2015, the Post reported.
Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, has often gone to bat for Facebook in Congress.
While many of his fellow Democratic lawmakers have been critical of Facebook, Schumer has often advocated on behalf of the tech giant.
In fact, The New York Times reported on Nov. 21 that Schumer pressed fellow Democrat Senator Mark Warner this summer to back off on pressuring Congress to investigate Facebook.
Additionally, Schumer has remained constant in his support for Facebook, even when revelations surfaced that the Russians had used the platform to attempt to disrupt the 2016 presidential election.
In March, according to the Post, Schumer said, “Facebook is a very powerful force. I think, overall, it’s been a very positive force.”
The revelations about the relationship between Schumer and Facebook have caused some eyebrows to rise.
Republican political strategist Susan Del Perico told the Post that this “sure looks hinky.”
“This is an industry that’s been trying for years to fend off heavy government regulation by actively cultivating relationships with senators and House members,” she said.
Conservatives have argued that the social media site has been suppressing conservative news outlets in its news feed.
In March, The Western Journal revealed that a then-recent algorithm changed had “negatively impacted conservative-leaning publishers significantly more than liberal-leaning outlets.”
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