WILLIAM J. OLSON, P.C.

ATTORNEYS AT LAW
WILLIAM J. OLSON 370 MAPLE AVENUE WEST, SUITE 4
(VA, D.C.)

HERBERT W. TITUS VIENNA, VIRGINIA 22180-5615

(VA OF COUNSEL)
TELEPHONE (703) 356-5070 114 CREEKSIDE LANE
JEREMIAH L. MORGAN
FAX (703) 356-5085 WINCHESTER, VA 22602-2429
(D.C., CA ONLY)
TELEPHONE (540) 450-8777
ROBERT J. OLSON E-MAIL: [email protected] FAX (540) 450-8771
(VA, D.C.)
http://www.lawandfreedom.com

September _, 2020
DRAFT SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

Office of General Counsel

Federal Election Commission
999 E Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20463

Re: John Crump and Gun Owners of America, Inc.

Federal Election Commission Complaint Against:
Facebook, AFP Fact Check, and Kamala Harris for Vice President

Dear Sirs:

This complaint is filed on behalf of (i) John Crump, a journalist, political activist, and

Virginia State Director for Gun Owners of America, Inc. who resides in northern Virginia, and

(ii) Gun Owners of America, Inc., located in Springfield, Virginia, which is one of the nation’s

largest citizen lobbies working in defense of the Second Amendment (hereinafter

“Complainants”). This complaint is filed against: Facebook, AFP Fact Check, and Kamala

Harris for Vice President (hereinafter “Respondents”) for violation of various provisions of the

Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, 52 U.S.C. § 30101, et seq. (also referred to

as “FECA” or “the Act”), and the implementing regulations adopted by the Federal Election

Commission (“Commission” or “FEC”) and published at 11 C.F.R. §§ 100.1, et seq.

SUMMARY OF COMPLAINT

This Complaint and its exhibits set out the basis for Complainants’ belief that the

Respondents, separately and/or jointly, have violated the Federal Election Campaign Act.
 2

Specifically, Complainants charge that, based on the facts set out below, one or more

Respondents violated the following:

1. the prohibition on corporations making in-kind contributions (see 52 U.S.C.

§§ 30101(8), 30118);

2. the limitations on making coordinated expenditures (52 U.S.C. § 30116(a)(7));

3. the prohibition on making Independent Expenditures without disclaimers and

reporting (52 U.S.C. §§ 30104(g) and 30120(a)); and

4. the prohibition on foreign nationals making in-kind contributions for the purpose
of influencing a federal election (52 U.S.C. § 30121).

FECA provides that if the Commission, upon receiving a complaint, has reason to believe

that a person has committed a violation of the Act, it shall make an investigation of the alleged

violation. See 52 U.S.C. § 30109(a)(2). This Complaint is filed pursuant to 52 U.S.C. §

30109(a)(1), with the request that the FEC conduct such investigation into whether the

Respondents’ conduct violated federal campaign finance laws during the time in question and, if

so, that it impose appropriate sanctions, as well as take whatever further action is appropriate and

in accordance with the law.

This Complaint is verified by John Crump, both in his individual capacity and as a

representative of Gun Owners of America, Inc., and is based upon such knowledge, information,

and belief of the facts as stated below and as contained in the identified exhibits. The relevant

facts and alleged offenses are summarized as follows:

 3

IDENTITY OF RESPONDENTS

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/) is a Delaware corporation, headquartered at 1

Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California 94025.1

AFP Fact Check (https://factcheck.afp.com/) describes itself on the “About Us” page of

its website as follows:

AFP launched its digital verification service in France in 2017 and has grown
to become the leading global fact-checking organisation, with dedicated
journalists in countries from the United States to Myanmar. ... They take into
account local cultures, languages and politics and work with AFP’s bureaus
worldwide to investigate and disprove false information, focusing on items which
can be harmful, impactful and manipulative.
Their stories are edited in regional hubs and the global team is managed
from AFP’s Paris headquarters.

AFP’s website entitled “Fact-checking at AFP” states the following:

Fact-checking has been a core element of AFP’s work as a global news agency for
more than 180 years.
The company itself has a unique status under a French law. AFP resources
are both commercial (around two thirds) and from a French government
subsidy to support impartial, public interest journalism in France and
abroad.
Our work follows the mission of the AFP charter to provide accurate, balanced
and impartial coverage of news “with an independent voice free of political,
commercial or ideological influence.”
AFP is part of Facebook’s third-party fact-checking programme. We
consider stories flagged on Facebook as part of the material we investigate.
Content rated “false” by fact-checkers is downgraded in news feeds so fewer
people will see it. The content is however not deleted as a result of the rating.
AFP’s fact-checking operations receive direct support through Facebook’s
programme.
AFP is a signatory of the IFCN code of principles. These include a commitment
to: nonpartisanship and fairness, transparency of sources, transparency of funding
and organisation, transparency of methodology and an open and honest
corrections policy. [Emphasis added.]

1
https://about.fb.com/company-info/.
 4

Kamala Harris is a candidate for Vice President of the United States, nominated at the

Democrat National Convention on August 19, 2020.

BACKGROUND OF RESPONDENTS’ACTIONS
IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL ELECTION LAW

1. The Cam Edwards Article.

On August 11, 2020, the website BearingArms.com published an article written by a

journalist named Cam Edwards, entitled “Kamala Harris Doesn’t Think You Have The Right To

Own A Gun” (“Edwards Article”).2 The Edwards Article concluded that “Harris may own a gun,

but that doesn’t mean she believes that you have a right to own one too.” As support for this

conclusion, the Edwards Article relied on a January 11, 2008 amicus brief3 that was filed by

Kamala Harris (“Harris Amicus Brief”) in the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case

District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008). Actually, Kamala Harris was listed twice

on that brief: both as one of the amici on whose behalf the brief was being submitted, and in her

capacity as District Attorney of San Francisco (see id. at 3) as counsel for amici, being identified

to the Court as one of the brief’s primary authors (see cover).

According to the Harris Amicus Brief, “the Second Amendment provides only a militia-

related right to bear arms....” Id. at 5, 10 (citing a case for the proposition that the “Second

Amendment does not provide a private right to keep and bear arms....”). The Harris Amicus Brief

faulted the decision issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit under review in

2
C. Edwards, “Kamala Harris Doesn’t Think You Have The Right To Own A Gun,”
Bearing Arms (Aug. 11, 2020).
3
District of Columbia v. Heller, No. 07-290, Amicus Curiae Brief of District
Attorneys in Support of Petitioners (Jan. 11, 2008). VERIFY CITE (Harris Amicus Brief.)
 5

Heller, for its having concluded that “the Constitution protects a broad ‘individual’ constitutional

right, one that is not militia-related, to possess firearms.” Id. at 13.

The Harris Amicus Brief then goes on to “respectfully join in the arguments set forth in

Petitioners’ brief.” Id. at 7. That petitioners’ brief,4 in turn, unequivocally claimed that “[t]he

text and history of the Second Amendment conclusively refute the notion that it entitles

individuals to have guns for their own private purposes.” Id. at 8 (emphasis added).

Thus, statements in the Harris Amicus Brief fully support the headline of the Edwards

Article — “Kamala Harris Doesn’t Think You Have The Right To Own A Gun.” Indeed,

Kamala Harris has expressly, directly, and unambiguously asserted her view that there is

no individual right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment. Of course, the

U.S. Supreme Court rejected the position set out in the Harris Amicus Brief, as the Heller

decision made clear that “the Second Amendment right is exercised individually and belongs to

all Americans.” Id. at 581 (emphasis added). It is these clear and unambiguous statements by

Kamala Harris on which the Edwards Article relied.

2. The AFP Fact Check Article.

On August 19, 2020, in response to the Edwards Article, an organization headquarted in

France and calling itself “AFP Fact Check” published an article (“AFP Fact Check Article”)

entitled “Kamala Harris does not oppose gun ownership or the Second Amendment.”5 Whereas

4
District of Columbia v. Heller, No. 07-290, Brief for Petitioners (Jan. 4, 2008).
5
I. Timberlake, “Kamala Harris does not oppose gun ownership or the Second
Amendment,” AFP Fact Check (Aug. 18, 2020) (emphasis added).
 6

the Edwards Article is solidly grounded on direct statements made by Kamala Harris, the AFP

Fact Check Article is based on conjecture, distortion, and misdirection.

The AFP Fact Check Article, referring to the Edwards Article, claimed that:

[a]n article and Facebook post claim Democratic vice presidential candidate
Kamala Harris opposes the right to own a gun and has plans with running mate
Joe Biden to “dismantle” the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. These
claims are false; although Harris supports gun safety laws, she says these can
co-exist with the Second Amendment, and she is not against gun ownership.6

The AFP Fact Check Article then continued to editorialize and distort, claiming that “[r]ather

than outright opposition to gun ownership, Harris has supported legislation aimed at increasing

safety.”

The AFP Fact Check Article then specifically addresses the Harris Amicus Brief in

Heller, on which the Edwards Article had relied, distorting the nature of that brief.

First, the AFP Fact Check Article seeks to downplay Harris’s prominent role in the

Harris Amicus Brief, claiming that she merely “join[ed] 17 other district attorneys — including at

least one Republican — in an amicus brief more than a decade ago.” In reality, Harris played a

leading role in the brief, appearing not only as a party amici, but also as counsel and author. And

the amicus brief she helped write and file in the Heller case was not just some random thoughts,

but rather her personal legal view of the scope of the Second Amendment which, as a member of

the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, she urged the Court to adopt.

Second, the AFP Fact Check Article seeks to redirect and recast the Harris Amicus

Brief, claiming that it merely “expressed concern that the case could unleash further court

6
In response to the AFP Fact Check, on August 19, 2020, Bearing Arms modified the
title of its article to “Kamala Harris Says She Supports Your Second Amendment Rights. Her
Record Proves Otherwise,” and, in response, the AFP updated its counter article.
 7

challenges to existing criminal firearms laws.” To be sure, the Harris Amicus Brief made that

point, but it also made many other statements about the Second Amendment which the AFP Fact

Check Article ignores. For example, the AFP Fact Check Article never mentions the quotations

above, in which Kamala Harris explicitly argued that there is no individual right to keep and bear

arms.

Third, the AFP Fact Check Article seeks to paper over the facts of the Harris Amicus

Brief with unsupported statements from supporters of Kamala Harris who insist that she is not

anti-gun. Outrageously, one of these sources even admits that Kamala Harris opposed private

gun ownership in the Harris Amicus Brief, yet opines that “I’m not sure it’s fair to claim that as

her current position given that the Supreme Court decided in Heller that people do have that

right, and I haven’t seen her questioning the Heller decision.” Emphasis added. In other words,

according to the AFP, it is “false” to point to specific evidence of Kamala Harris’s writings

opposing private gun ownership, while it is “true” to speculate that she may no longer hold such

views.

In spite of the best efforts of the AFP Fact Check Article, the Harris Amicus Brief clearly

sets out Kamala Harris’s view — soundly-refuted by the U.S. Supreme Court in Heller — that

Americans possess no individual right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment.

The AFP Fact Check Article itself is highly misleading, seeking to obscure unfortunate

statements made by its favored candidate. Yet, rather than admitting to its blatant prejudice, the

AFP Fact Check Article claims the moral high ground, declaring its statements to be “true” and

statements from the Edwards Article to be “false.” In doing so, AFP Fact Check seeks to act as a

1984-style Ministry of Truth, imposing its views on the American public as to what is true and
 8

should be believed about candidates for federal office, versus what is false and should be rejected

— thereby meddling in the upcoming U.S. election from its headquarters in France.

3. AFP Fact Check’s Partnership with Facebook, Inc.

Facebook, Inc. has selected AFP Fact Check to participate in what it calls its “Third-Party

Fact-Checking Program.”7 The mission of that Program is to “reduce the spread of

misinformation on [its] platforms.” Claiming to enforce its “Community Standards,”8 including

Section 21 on “False News,” Facebook admits that “[t]here is also a fine line between false news

and satire or opinion. For these reasons, we don’t remove false news from Facebook but

instead, significantly reduce its distribution by showing it lower in the News Feed.”9 Emphasis

added.

Rather than deleting content it has arbitrarily deemed to be “False News,” Facebook

instead claims that it will: (1) “reduce the spread” of the information (essentially electronic book

burning) by hampering its users from seeking out and finding information that has been declared

“false”; (2) de-monetize the accounts of those who share information Facebook has deemed

“false”10; and (3) “[i]nform[] our community with additional context,” meaning superimposing

Facebook’s favored information over top of the disfavored information, imparting the message to

7
“Facebook’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program,” Facebook.
8
“Community Standards,” Facebook.
9
Elsewhere, Facebook claims that “false news does not violate our Community
Standards....” See T. Lyons, “Hard Questions: What’s Facebook’s Strategy for Stopping
False News?” Facebook (May 23, 2018).
10
See T. Lyons (“And since we don’t want to make money off of misinformation or
help those who create it profit, these publishers are not allowed to run ads or use our
monetization features like Instant Articles.”).
 9

readers that they should believe Facebook’s information and reject the disfavored information.

Additionally, as happened to Complainant Crump, Facebook has also engaged in the more

nefarious and surreptitious activity of deleting the accounts of users who share information

Facebook deems to be false, or who question Facebook’s wholesale whitewashing of the public

square to fit its political agenda.

Although Facebook’s rules and policies repeatedly state that “we” (meaning Facebook)

take the above steps, in reality Facebook has out-sourced (indeed, foreign-sourced) this role to

third parties to determine what information should be declared to be “false,” and what actions

should be taken in response. Facebook describes that its “Approach to Misinformation” is

“Partnering with Third-Party Fact-Checkers.”11 Attempting to provide this process with the

cover of legitimacy, Facebook claims that these third-party fact-checkers are “certified through

the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).” This group is “a unit of the

Poynter Institute,”12 which recently was forced to recant its political targeting of conservative

media outlets as “unreliable” news sources, after widespread backlash.13

4. AFP Fact Check’s Relationship to AFP.

One of Facebook’s fact-checking partners is AFP Fact Check.14 As the Facebook AFP

Fact Check page explains, “[c]ontent rated ‘false’ by fact-checkers is downgraded in News

11
See “Partnering with Third-Party Fact-Checkers.”
12
See the Poynter Institute, “The International Fact-Checking Network.”
13
J. Concha, “Poynter pulls blacklist of ‘unreliable’ news websites after backlash,”
The Hill (May 3, 2019).
14
K. Goldshlager, “How AFP Has Built a Global Fact-Checking Operation,”
Facebook (Sept. 11, 2019).
 10

Feeds so fewer people will see it. AFP’s fact-checking operations receive direct support

through Facebook’s programme, which has helped us to expand our fact-checking team

worldwide.” Emphasis added. It is unclear whether “direct support” means financial payments

or simply access to Facebook resources, but regardless Facebook permits AFP Fact Check to

evaluate content — including content bearing on federal candidates — and, based on AFP Fact

Check’s evaluation, will suppress certain statements about federal candidates, as it did with the

Edwards Article.

AFP Fact Check boasts that it is certified by the International Fact-Checking Network

(“IFCN”),15 in an effort to demonstrate its legitimacy as a modern day Bebelplatz.16 AFP Fact

Checking certification is set to expire on February 22, 2021.17 AFP Fact Check’s international

credentials are highly problematic when it comes to U.S. elections, where FECA is designed to

ensure that American elections are decided by Americans — not foreigners.

AFP Fact Check,18 a/k/a AFP Factuel,19 describes itself as “a distinct fact-checking site

linked to the website of Agence France Presse. AFP is a legally registered press agency which

has a unique status of autonomous organization under French law.”20 In other words, AFP Fact

15
As part of the IFCN’s certification approval, it concluded that “AFP Factual do[es]
not seem to support a candidate in any elections nor to advocate or take policy positions on any
issues not strictly related to fact-checking.” “AFP fact checking,” IFCN Code of Principles.
16
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebelplatz
17
“AFP fact checking: organization details,” IFCN Code of Principles.
18
See generally “AFP Fact Check.”
19
See generally “AFP Factuel.”
20
See “AFP fact checking,” IFCN Code of Principles.
 11

Check is a division of the AFP. AFP, in turn, has a long and storied history as a quasi-

governmental entity. In 1957, the French Parliament through legislation purported to establish

AFP as an “autonomous civil entity,” yet its mission statement has been established by law, it is

funded in part by the French government, and the composition of its 8-member “higher council”

(something of an advisory board) is comprised of a majority (5 of 8) of French government

agents, including “[a] member of the Council of State in active service,” “[a] judge in active

service on the supreme appeals court,” “[a] representative of French national television and radio

services,” and “[t]wo members of Parliament.”21 Likewise, AFP’s 18-member “board of

governors” (something of a board of directors) also includes numerous government

representatives. In other words, AFP Fact Check operates not only as an organization in the

private sector, but also as an arm of the French state.

Thus, Facebook has recruited an agent of a European government to control which

messages about U.S. elections may be heard, and which should be suppressed. Based on its

favored status within Facebook, AFP Fact Check has been given access to the Facebook site,

along with the unilateral powers to declare information it opposes to be “False News,” to censor,

diminish, or even remove opposing views that are posted on Facebook, and to superimpose

AFP’s own version of the alleged “truth” in its place.

The United States recently went through a multi-year investigation of phony charges that

agents of the Russian government were colluding with members of the Trump campaign to

illegally influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Now it is time for a complete

investigation into concrete proof that agents of the French government are illegally influencing

21
“Full Text of AFP’s Statutes in English,” SOS AFP (June 12, 2017).
 12

the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Indeed, Facebook and AFP are illegally expending

corporate funds to sanitize the Internet of statements critical of their favored candidates, or even

statements that question those candidates’ positions on the issues.

5. Facebook/AFP Censorship of Complainant John Crump.

Complainant John Crump is a journalist and author whose work includes a focus on

Second Amendment issues and the right to keep and bear arms in the United States. He is also

the Virginia State Director of Gun Owners of America, Inc. He is also, by coincidence, a former

employee of Facebook. He has had an account with Facebook for many years. On August 19,

2020, Complainant became aware that Facebook had been censoring posts discussing the

Democrat Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her positions on the Second Amendment

and the right to keep and bear arms. Specifically, Complainant determined that Facebook was

censoring users who shared the Edwards Article through their Facebook accounts. Complainant

viewed several of these Facebook posts, which had been censored and removed, only to have the

AFP Fact Check Article posted in their place.

Contrary to Facebook’s claims above that “we don’t remove false news from Facebook,”

these censored Facebook posts had been both visually and functionally superimposed with the

AFP Fact Check Article. This means that, while a user could see that the Edwards Article had

been posted, it was impossible to click on that article (or the original post) without being

redirected to the AFP Fact Check Article.

Also on August 19, 2020, Complainant reviewed both the Edwards Article and the AFP

Fact Check Article, finding the former to be accurately stated and well-sourced, while finding the

latter to be both deceptive and misleading.

 13

On the same date, Complainant Crump accessed a private “group” on Facebook entitled

“guns,” made up of current and former Facebook employees. Complainant then made a post in

the “guns” group, opining that AFP Fact Check had incorrectly “fact checked” the Edwards

Article, and informing the group that Complainant would be investigating the issue and writing

an article on the subject. Complainant Crump’s post quickly was deleted and rendered

inaccessible to the group by Facebook. Thereafter, some of the other users of the private group

(current Facebook employees) commented that they would raise the issue internally within

Facebook.

Additionally, Complainant Crump posted on his public Facebook account a link to the

Harris Amicus Brief. That post, which simply contained a link to the Harris Amicus Brief, was

deemed “fake news” by Facebook and superimposed with the AFP Fact Check Article.

That post has since been deleted and rendered inaccessible by Facebook.

On the same date, Complainant sent the following message to [email protected]:

I am writing in article for AmmoLand News and under deadline.

The AFP have been marking accurate articles on firearms as false.
For example any article the talks about Kamala Harris’s amicus
brief in the Heller SCOTUS case is being marked as false, yet these
articles are easily verifiable. This leads me to my question. Why
does Facebook allow the AFP to keep marking articles as false
when a quick Google search would turn up the amicus brief?
Attached are some examples.22

Complainant Crump did not receive a response to this inquiry. Rather, when he later attempted

to log into his Facebook account, he was greeted with the following message:

22
Exhibit
 14

Your Account Has Been Disabled. For more information, or if

you think your account was disabled by mistake, please visit the
Help Center.23

In response to clicking “for more information,” the following message then appeared:

Why was my account disabled? We’ve determined that you are

not eligible to use Facebook. This decision is final. Unfortunately,
for safety and security reasons, we can’t give you any additional
information as to why your account was disabled. For more
information about our policies, please review the Facebook
Terms.24

On the same date, Complainant contacted various person(s) who are current Facebook

employees and, on Complainant’s behalf, these person(s) opened what is called an internal

Facebook “opps” report (basically, an internal appeal). This internal appeal was quickly denied

by Facebook, and no reason was given other than that the decision to lock Complainant’s

Facebook account was final and not subject to further review.

Prior to August 19, 2020, Complainant had never experienced any other objection from

Facebook about his Facebook account. The account has always been in good standing, and there

has never been any warning, admonition, or any other action by Facebook against Complainant

or his account. Thus, there is no activity other than that outlined above which could have led to

the disabling of Complainant’s Facebook account.

On the contrary, the Facebook decision to disable Complainant’s account, and the AFP

Fact Check action — literally to declare a URL link to be “false news” — together represent

nothing more than a thin cover for censorship and political action. Indeed, as supported by

23
Exhibit
24
Exhibit.
 15

additional evidence below, Facebook and AFP Fact Check have engaged in a pattern and

conspiracy to expend corporate funds in support of the election of certain candidates to political

office, and to oppose the election of other candidates, by suppressing contrary viewpoints, and

subsequently have sought to cover up and hide those activities from a journalist who was

investigating those activities in order to inform the public.

6. Facebook/AFP Fact Check Removes Gun Owners of America Postings.

Unfortunately, the Edwards Article and Facebook/AFP Fact Check actions against

Complainant are only the tip of the iceberg in the conspiracy to support the positions of Vice

Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris and to sanitize the public square to eliminate any criticism

of her record.

For example, on August 15, 2020, the Houston Courant published an article25 by Rachel

Malone (“Malone Article”), a pro-gun activist, columnist, and Texas Director for Complainant

Gun Owners of America, Inc. The article was entitled “Kamala Harris is the Gun Owner’s Worst

Nightmare.” Like the Edwards Article, the Malone Article criticized Kamala Harris’s record on

guns point by point, in each case providing a specific link to Kamala Harris’s record on guns and

the Second Amendment. And, like the Edwards Article, the Malone Article was distributed

widely on Facebook.

Soon after it began appearing on Facebook, AFP Fact Check decreed that the Malone

Article was “false news” and began removing it from Facebook. However, rather than issue a

specific rebuttal to the Malone Article, AFP Fact Check instead replaced the Malone Article with

25
R. Malone, “Kamala Harris is the Gun Owner’s Worst Nightmare,” Houston
Courant (Aug. 15, 2020).
 16

the AFP Fact Check Article criticizing the Edwards Article. Complainant Crump posted the

Malone Article on August 19, 2020, and it was marked by AFP Fact Check as “false news” and

overlaid with the AFP Fact Check Article supporting Kamala Harris.26

Likewise, the Facebook page “Pennsylvania Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance”

(“PA SASO”), operated by Complainant Gun Owners of America staff, posted the Malone

Article, and it was flagged as “false news.” The PA SASO page later received a warning from

Facebook as follows:

Page Restrictions. Your Page has reduced distribution and other

restrictions because of repeated sharing of false news. People will
also be able to see if a Page has a history of sharing false news.27

The Facebook group “GOA-Pennsylvania,” operated by Complainant Gun Owners of America

staff, also had shared the Malone Article. Again, AFP Fact Check flagged it as “false news,” and

Facebook sent a warning to the group as follows:

Restrictions. Your group’s distribution is reduced due to false

information. Your group’s posts are appearing lower in members’
News Feeds, and we’ve stopped suggesting that people join your
group. What you can do. You can help resolve this by removing
false information from your group.28

On or about the same date, Gun Owners of California, affiliated with Complainant Gun

Owners of America, also posted the Malone Article, but it was declared “false information” and

overlaid with the AFP Fact Check Article.29

26
Exhibit.
27
Exhibit.
28
Exhibit.
29
Exhibit.
 17

After Facebook received much criticism for its removal of the Malone Article, that article

apparently was reviewed internally within Facebook, and the AFP Fact Check designation as

“false news” was reversed. Both the PA SASO page and the “GOA-Pennsylvania” group then

had their designations as sharers of “false news” removed, and presumably their Facebook

distribution restored. However, Facebook did this quietly, behind the scenes, and never informed

anyone of its decision.30

7. Facebook is Staffed by Liberal Democrats.

In 2016, during the Trump-Clinton Presidential election, Facebook employees contributed

$2,305,755 to Democrat candidates, but only $160,490 to Republican candidates. See “Political

Contributions by Facebook Employees,” GovPredict. In 2019, Facebook employees contributed

$646,420 to Democrat candidates, but only $42,260 to Republicans. See J. Pearlstein, “Tech

workers lean left, but their companies’ PACs play both sides,” Protocol (Feb. 25, 2020).

It can be reasonably concluded that the conspiracy undertaken by Facebook and AFP is

not intended to protect the public against “false news,” but rather to ensure that the public is not

exposed to information critical of the Democratic political candidates favored by Facebook and

the French company AFP.

RESPONDENTS’ ACTIONS VIOLATE THE

FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN ACT.

30
It is often of little consolation to have a designation of “fake news” reversed at a
later date because, by that point, the damage has been done. The information has been
suppressed, the message has been thwarted and, by the time the decision is undone, the “news”
is no longer “news” at all, having accomplished Facebook’s plan to undermine anyone critical
of its favored federal candidates.
 18

Complainants believe that Respondents, both individually and in concert with one

another, violated the following provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act.

1. the prohibition on corporations making in-kind contributions (see 52 U.S.C.

§§ 30101(8) and 30118);

2. the limitation on making coordinated expenditures (52 U.S.C. § 30116(a)(7));

3. the prohibition on making Independent Expenditures without disclaimers or

reporting (52 U.S.C. §§ 30104(g) and 30120(a)); and

4. the prohibition on foreign nationals making in-kind contributions for the purpose

of influencing a federal election (52 U.S.C. § 30121).

I. Corporate Contributions Prohibited.

The Federal Election Campaign Act (“FECA”) prohibits any and all contributions from

corporations to candidates or their committees. See 52 U.S.C. § 30118(a). The definition of

contribution includes a “gift, subscription, loan ..., advance, or deposit of money or anything of

value made ... for the purpose of influencing any election for Federal office....” 11 C.F.R. §

100.52(a).

“Anything of value,” as used in the context of defining a contribution, “includes all in-

kind contributions,” which is a non-monetary contribution that also encompasses “the provision

of any goods or services without charge or at a charge that is less than the usual and normal

charge for such goods or services.” 11 C.F.R. § 100.52(d)(1) (emphasis added). Thus, when a

corporation pays its employees to perform services for a candidate or campaign to influence an

election, but does not charge the campaign or charges less than a normal charge, the provision of
 19

those services constitutes an illegal corporate contribution.31 This conclusion was confirmed by

the FEC in Advisory Opinion 1984-24 (Sierra Club):

The Act and regulations prohibit a corporation from using its general treasury
funds to provide goods and services at no charge to candidates in any Federal
election. A corporation’s donation of the services of its employees and the use of
its facilities incident to its employees’ services qualifies as a gift of something of
value to the candidate. Thus, the expenditure of corporate treasury funds to
provide such services and facilities falls squarely within the prohibition of [52
U.S.C. § 30118.] Nothing in the Act or regulations excludes such corporate
disbursements from the Act’s prohibition. [AO 1984-24 at 4 (emphasis added).]

Here, Respondents Facebook and AFP Fact Check have provided valuable services to the

political campaign of Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Respondents’ employees have

used corporate time and resources to target and remove political speech critical of their favored

candidate, because such speech has been deemed harmful to that candidate, all for the purpose of

influencing the 2020 Presidential Election. When AFP Fact Check and Facebook substituted

articles supportive of candidate Harris for those which were critical of her record, these

corporations made public communications paid for with corporate funds. Because Respondents

are corporations, they are prohibited from providing this service to the campaign free of charge,

or for less than they should normally charge. Therefore, these services constitute a prohibited

corporate in-kind contribution to the Harris campaign.

II. Corporate Coordination with Political Campaigns.

While Complainants know of no direct evidence, there is at least circumstantial evidence

that Respondents have coordinated their activities with federal political candidates. Based on

31
See also 52 U.S.C. § 30101(8)(A)(ii) (“The term ‘contribution’ includes ... the
payment by any person of compensation for the personal services of another person which are
rendered to a political committee without charge for any purpose.”).
 20

circumstantial evidence, these Complainants urge the Commission to undertake an investigation

to identify illegal coordination. “Coordination” means activity “made in cooperation,

consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, a candidate’s

authorized committee, or a political party committee.” 11 C.F.R. § 109.20(a).

Any corporate expenditure that is coordinated with a candidate or committee cannot be

considered a lawful independent expenditure. See 11 C.F.R. § 109.20(b). Thus, any coordinated

corporate expenditure is a prohibited corporate contribution. Even if Respondents were to

defend their action in removing postings as being something other than a communication (i.e.,

the opposite of a communication — the suppression of a communication critical of a candidate

for federal office), this would not provide any defense if Facebook or AFP Fact Check

coordinated with Kamala Harris or the Harris campaign in any way.

III. Independent Expenditures Require Disclaimers and Reporting.

Even if Facebook took the position that it was conducting an Independent Expenditure in

support of Kamala Harris for Vice President, by removing anti-Harris posts or posting favorable

articles about candidate Harris, and thus its expenditure of corporate funds was lawful. If this

defense were raised, it would be unavailing, as Facebook provided no required disclaimer, and

failed to file the FEC required reports.

IV. Foreign Contributions are Illegal.

FECA broadly prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions, donations,

expenditures, or other disbursements in connection with federal candidate elections. See 52

U.S.C. § 30121(a)(1)(A), (a)(2). “[T]he United States has a compelling interest ... in limiting the

participation of foreign citizens in activities of democratic self-government, and in thereby

 21

preventing foreign influence over the U.S. political process.” Bluman v. FEC, 800 F. Supp. 2d

281, 288 (D.D.C. 2011) (Kavanaugh, J., for three-judge court, aff’d, 565 U.S. 1104 (2012).

The Special Counsel’s office has concluded that the receipt of information for free from a

foreign national “would constitute a ‘thing of value’ within the meaning” of the foreign

contributions ban. See Mueller Report at 186. Furthermore, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the

Southern District of New York has taken the position that payments for the suppression of

derogatory information of a federal candidate is an electoral expenditure. See United States v.

Cohen (S.D. N.Y, Docket No. 18-cr-602), Criminal Information at 11-17.

In this case, Respondent AFP Fact Check, a foreign corporation, both provided

information in the form of the AFP Fact Check Article, and also suppressed information

including the Edwards Article, the Malone Article, and Complainants’ posts, to prevent the

online distribution of what AFP Fact Check and Facebook consider to be derogatory information

regarding Harris, all for the purpose of influencing an election. Ironically, Facebook in the past

has pretended to care about foreign powers influencing U.S. elections — but, of course, only

when such alleged outside influence allegedly supports candidates whose election Facebook

opposes.32

On April 10, 2018, before a joint hearing of the U.S. Senate Committees on the Judiciary

and Commerce, Science and Transportation, Facebook President Mark Zuckerberg was asked by

Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) what Facebook is doing to prevent foreign actors from

interfering in U.S. elections. Mr. Zuckerberg responded:

32
See, e.g., S. Frenkel & J.E. Barnes, “Russians Again Targeting Americans with
Disinformation, Facebook and Twitter Say,” New York Times (Sept. 1, 2020).
 22

This is one of my top priorities in 2018 — is to get this right. I — one of my

greatest regrets in running the company is that we were slow in identifying the
Russian information operations in 2016. We expected them to do a number of
more traditional cyber attacks, which we did identify and notify the campaigns
that they were trying to hack into them.33

While Mr. Zuckerberg said he was slow to identify alleged Russian interference in the

2016 elections, his company has been quick to facilitate interference in the 2020 elections by the

government of France.

CONCLUSION

Wherefore, Complainants pray that the Commission investigate these matters under 52

U.S.C. § 30109(a)(2), and find reason to believe that violations of the Act and the FEC

regulations may have occurred, as set forth above. In addition, the Commission should

determine and impose appropriate sanctions for any and all violations committed by

Respondents, and should order such additional remedies as are appropriate and in accordance

with law.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert J. Olson

Exhibits (as stated)

33
See “Transcript of Mark Zuckerberg’s Senate hearing,” The Washington Post (Apr.
10, 2018).
 23

VERIFICATION

I hereby declare, under penalty of perjury pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746, that the foregoing

statements and allegations are true to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief.

Executed on September ___, 2020.

____________________________
John Crump