ICYMI: Luria claims she hates Facebook, but her stock portfolio doesn’t

May 12, 2022

The Daily Beast reports Elaine Luria railed against Facebook at a recent town hall, but it turns out she’s the largest shareholder of their stock in Congress. 

Add this to the long list of reasons Virginians can’t trust anything Elaine Luria says. 

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This Dem May Hate Facebook, But Her Stock Portfolio Doesn’t

The Daily Beast 

Roger Sollenberger 

May 12, 2022 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/democrat-elaine-luria-may-hate-facebook-but-her-stock-portfolio-doesnt?ref=wrap

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) points the finger at Facebook for its role in spreading disinformation and adding to “divisiveness” in U.S. politics that ultimately led to the Jan. 6 insurrection—an event she has been charged with investigating.

And while Luria may truly want to “hold tech companies accountable,” she also wants tech company holdings in her account.

According to her 2021 financial disclosure, Luria holds between $1 million and $5 million in Facebook (now “Meta”) stock. Those holdings, owned jointly with her husband, make her the largest Facebook shareholder in Congress, and might appear to undercut the force of her criticism.

At a town hall last month, Luria—who sits on the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection—said it was time to “hold tech companies accountable,” skewering the tech giant for its “amplification of misinformation.”

“I think we should hold tech companies accountable,” Luria said. “I know that Facebook, Twitter, and other tech companies have been asked to testify before Congress about the algorithms, about the implications of them, as well.”

She also connected the platform to the riot, telling the audience that when it comes to “Jan. 6-related issues,” social media has “added to divisiveness in our political rhetoric” and “led ultimately to the events” of the insurrection.

“The spread of disinformation that, you know, led ultimately to the events of, in part to the events of Jan. 6, is really part of our investigation,” she said. “It’s very important to understand the impacts of social media and how the amplification of misinformation online has impacted that.”

And while Luria has never received money from Facebook’s PAC, when it comes to spreading political information, Luria herself frequently turns to the company.

Since her first congressional bid in 2018, Luria’s campaign has paid Facebook $354,540 for advertising, according to data from the Facebook Ad Library. She’s spent as much as $60,000 since Jan. 6, 2021.

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