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Judd Legum Profile picture
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4 Jan, 9 tweets, 4 min read
1. A Facebook ad from American Crossroads, a GOP Super PAC, falsely attacked Warnock

Facebook found it violated its rules and took it down

Then Facebook allowed American Crossroads to republish it 5 times.

Why?

Facebook won't say

But I kept digging

popular.info/p/facebook-fai…
2. I obtained internal Facebook communications about the ads

On 12/24, Facebook exec Rod Leathern asked if Facebook should take action against American Crossroads "for attempting to circumvent our ads policies by repeatedly posting the same content?"

popular.info/p/facebook-fai…
3. This is a very strange message because Leathern (who left Facebook on 12/30) "led the product team for Business Integrity at Facebook" and was responsible for "enforc[ing] ads and business policies across Facebook."

It means there is no policy.

popular.info/p/facebook-fai…
4. Instead, Leathern is asking the communications staff. It's an ad hoc decision based on how it will play publicly.

Notably, in this case, Facebook declined to take action, allowing American Crossroads to publish the content again and again.

popular.info/p/facebook-fai…
5. Why did Facebook decline to take action against American Crossroads? Again, they won't comment. But we do know that one of their top execs, Joel Kaplan, is a former GOP operative who has repeatedly intervened to protect right-wing groups & publications

popular.info/p/facebook-fai…
6. But even if they won't take action against the group itself, couldn't they block American Crossroads from posting the same false ad?

A member of Facebook's integrity unit revealed "even the slightest modification" to an ad stops automatic detection

popular.info/p/facebook-fai…
7. Facebook is an $800 billion company but its AI for ads is effectively worthless. And it will not backstop it with human moderation before the ads are published.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of Georgians being exposed to false attacks on Warnock

popular.info/p/facebook-fai…
8. In a statement to Popular Information, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) blasted Facebook's handling of the American Crossroads ads. "Facebook is throwing out its own rule book to avoid shutting down Republican lies," Wyden said.

popular.info/p/facebook-fai…
9. If you liked this thread, you'll really like my newsletter.

A lot more accountability journalism coming in 2021.

popular.info/subscribe

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More from @JuddLegum

Judd Legum Profile picture
6 Jan
1. Today, 130+ GOP members of Congress will vote to ignore millions of voters and try to install Trump for a second term.

We reviewed thousands of FEC records to find the top corporate donors to this group.

Follow along if interested.

popular.info/p/20-corporati…
2. Top corporate donors to 138 Republican members of Congress voting to subvert democracy:

@ATT ($2M, 130 members)
@comcast ($1.7M, 126 members)
@UPS ($1.5M, 121 members)
@Deloitte ($1.3M, 90 members)
@EY_US ($1.2M, 79 members)
@PwC (890K, 71 members)

popular.info/p/20-corporati…
3. Top corporate donors to 138 Republican members of Congress voting to subvert democracy (con't):

@UnitedHealthGrp (749K, 73 members)
@Delta (710K, 86 members)
@KPMG (693K, 67 members)
@Walmart (679K, 111 members)
@pfizer (610K, 74 members)

popular.info/p/20-corporati…
Read 14 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
5 Jan
I'd like to personally thank President Trump for sending hoards of his mask-less, delusional supporters to my neighborhood in the middle of the pandemic.
It’s seems like a fun group of people Image
I've watched these MAGA rallies progress since election day. We started out with about 25% of the people wearing masks. We are now at 0%.
Read 4 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
5 Jan
1. Was Trump's call to Raffensberger criminal?

I took a look at potential federal and state statutes that could be used to charge Trump.

A successful prosecution would be difficult but not necessarily impossible.

Follow along if interested.

popular.info/p/trumps-call-…
2. The basic fact pattern establishes both a federal and state crime.

It is not legal for Trump to call Georgia's Secretary of State and ask him to find 11,780 votes that do not exist.

And that's exactly what Trump did.

But Trump does have a defense.

popular.info/p/trumps-call-…
3. Both federal and state law require the solicitation of fraud to be intentional.

Trump's lawyers could argue that Trump BELIEVED there were 11,780 votes so he wasn't, in his mind, soliciting fraud

Trump's best defense is his own delusional thinking

popular.info/p/trumps-call-…
Read 5 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
3 Jan
1. Facebook has AGAIN allowed GOP Super PAC American Crossroads to run an ad with a false attack on Raphael Warnock.

Facebook has taken down the same American Crossroads ad FIVE OTHER TIMES since December 17 -- 12/18, 12/20, 12/24, 12/31, 1/2.

Now it's back for a SIXTH time.
2. This ad is brutally dishonest and I'll just link to my thread from yesterday explaining why.

3. The big question is WHY Facebook can't detect and block these ads (which they acknowledge violate its policies) and WHY Facebook won't penalize American Crossroads despite its purposeful efforts to evade Facebook rules

I should have answers soon

popular.info/subscribe
Read 5 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
2 Jan
.@sendavidperdue should explain why he is making a white power sign in this photo posted by a Trump campaign operative on October 15
@sendavidperdue For people who say its photoshopped, here is the link to the original photo: facebook.com/10002447359500…
@sendavidperdue Here is a photo of Perdue at the same event that was posted on October 15 on Perdue's official page
Read 6 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
2 Jan
1. Today, Facebook allowed GOP Super PAC American Crossroads to run an ad with a false attack on Raphael Warnock.

Facebook has taken down the same American Crossroads ad FOUR OTHER TIMES since December 17 -- 12/18, 12/20, 12/24, 12/31.

Now, it's back for a fifth time.
2. The American Crossroads ad tells Georgia voters on Facebook that Warnock said "God Damn America."

As if he was expressing his own views.

But he wasn't. He was quoting Jerimiah Wright in a speech he delivered on 7/11/13.
3. Here's Warnock's full quote: "Extracted from its theological and rhetorical context and looped to the point of ad nauseam was the most provocative phrase 'God Damn America'"

The ad claims this means Warnock "spewed anti-American hate"

FALSE.
Read 8 tweets

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