Thread by @carolecadwalla

Alexander Nix, CEO of Cambridge Analytica, answering MPs' questions now. Watch live. There's already a battle royale kicking off here....
theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2…

Really interesting question from @JoStevensLabour. "Were you embarrassed to be caught on camera talking about honeytraps & so on?" Nix says yes. But Stevens interrogates his response. Embarrassed to be caught? But not for what you did?

From @DamianCollins: "You told @Channel4News Ukrainian girls work very well. That was present tense." Nix: "That was hypothetical." "Well what about the sex scandal in St Vincent & Grenadines which SCL was involved in?" Nix: "I have no idea what you are talking about"

Interesting. Alexander Nix drawing moral equivalence between the "dark arts" employed by Cambridge Analytica & those employed by @Channel4News....

Alexander Nix now talking about Nigeria murder video. He says he hasn't seen it..(in link below). "We were given this video by the client but never distributed it." So, why didn't Cambridge Analytica just tell me that when I went to them for response?
theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/a…

Right. First question about Wikileaks. @Chrismatheson asks about our new Guardian article that revealed Brittany Kaiser visited Julian Assange at Ecuador embassy in February last year theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/j…

"That's the first I'm hearing about it," says Nix. "Ask Carole Cadwalladr."
"But wasn't it on your time?" asks @Chris_Matheson. Kaiser was an employee at the time. And, Feb 17 was a week day...

Nix: "I knew Brittany Kaiser had a relationship with John Jones, Julian Assange's lawyer."
So, why, asks @DamianCollins didn't you just ask her if you wanted to get a message to Julian Assange?

"Why did I reach out to Julian Assange? It was just a spur of the moment thing," says Nix. "Everyone wanted to get hold of those emails"

Here we go. Nix now answering questions about AggregateIQ. I think we can call what comes next grammar & semantics argument. Why did he tell the committee that he had no relationship with the firm? "I said we didn't HAVE one then which was true"

"Chris Wylie was absolutely integral to the company," says Nix. "So why was he referred to as a low-level student in your QC report?" asks @DamianCollins. Ah, right here's the play: "Chris Wylie's role was invaluable. He was the one who introduced us to Alexander Kogan."

"Cambridge Analytica was the car. And AggregateIQ was the petrol," says Alexander Nix. Um...This graphic possibly more useful re CA & AIQ's relationship in referendum.

Wow. Alexander Nix accuses Information Commissioner of "taking advantage of parliamentary privilege" in using his testimony to the committee to obtain a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica's premises...

"The only person to have received the whole dataset was Christopher Wylie," says Nix. "Nearly 90% of allegations came from a single source: Christopher Wylie." Um, not actually true. We had multiple sources across multiple stories..

Nix had wanted a break when he was being asked about data harvesting. But he's now pepped up to talk about @chrisinsilico. "He was openly discussing about building a rival company with clients." He liked idea of "working with crazy, evil Russians quite intriguing..."

Kicking off again. .@DamianCollins buts in. "It's just not true that the evidence comes only from Christopher Wylie. You could have chosen to give a more honest & full answer. And what we have is not Christopher's Wylie's opinion. We have facts, documents, contracts..."

Ooh, @DamianCollins now throwing shade on both Nix AND Facebook. "We also don't think Facebook were open and honest with us when they gave evidence"

Excellent rolling coverage by @alexhern at theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2…. Committee back from break. Alexander Nix gave me a wink on the sweep out. Somewhat confused by what this means

Right. And now down the Brexit nitty gritty. Discussing the invoice that the Observer obtained for the work that Cambridge Analytica did for UKIP/Leave. Nix: "I stand by my statement that we have never worked in politics in the UK"

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"Let me be crystal clear we did no work for LeaveEU. Do you stand by those words?" asks @Simonhartmp. Nix quotes fromElectoral Commission's report. "I've been totally vindicated". So, why, says @simonhart did Nigel Oakes describe that work as "backbone" of Farage Brexit campaign?

Who introduced Cambridge Analytica to @Arron_banks? (Pause) Brittany Kaiser says it was Steve Bannon. "It could well have been." C'mon @Arron_banks help us out here. @andywigmore told me it was UKIP general secretary and Robert Mercer's lawyer, Matthew Richardson...

Brendan O'Hara asks "You're painting yourself as a victim!"
Hmm. I think nobody was expecting quite this answer: "Well, what if I am a victim? Let's roll with that. What if I am? What if I'm a victim of extremely well co-ordinated media plan to attack us for work with Trump."

And here comes @JoStevensLabour with a zinger. "Can you tell us about your relationship with Christian Kalin?" This is head of Henley & Co, the passport investment programme, that's been a focus Malta inquiries into the murder of Daphne Carauna Galizia. Nix - quiet & focussed

Did you do any work together? "I met with him multiple times," says Nix carefully not answering the question. Did he fund any elections, ask @JoStevensLabour? "Um...ah....he may have given contributions to some of these campaigns". Nix, now very uncomfortable...

"Have you had former Russian intelligence officers work for?" asks @DamianCollins. "I have a document here saying that you employ former intelligence officers from Russia."

And now we're getting to Nigeria & Cambridge Analytica's work with hackers in 2015 presidential election. "Groundless," says Nix. "Lies from Wylie." No...we had multiple sources for this story, both employees, contractors & others. Wylie not one of them
theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/m…

Nix has now gone full Etonian. Never go full Etonian.
"I THINK we have now concluded, and we are ALL in agreement that Cambridge Analytica undertook no work in Britain."

Nix just blamed "Carole in the Guardian" for everything that has come to pass for Cambridge Analytica. "Carole thought if she attacked Cambridge Analytica...the Guardian could push for a second referendum. And that's exactly what has happened."