U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and more than a dozen other state attorneys general and their representatives Tuesday for what the Department of Justice called a listening session about the tech industry.
The DOJ said afterward that Sessions had “a productive dialogue with 14 state attorneys general’s offices.
“The discussion centered on ways the Department and state governments can most effectively safeguard consumers using online digital platforms,” the DOJ said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the DOJ said Sessions was convening the meeting “to discuss a growing concern that these companies may be hurting competition and intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas on their platforms.”
The announcement of the meeting came the same day Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg testified at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about foreign interference in elections through social media, where they were also asked to address growing complaints that their platforms are biased against conservatives.
In addition, President Donald Trump has been publicly blasting tech companies including Google and Twitter, accusing them of bias. His office has drafted an executive order that compels federal agencies to open an antitrust investigation into tech companies, some media outlets reported last week.
“If the Trump Administration wanted to hold tech companies to account they could pressure them to better protect Americans from foreign interference, misinformation, and hate speech,” said Angelo Carusone, president of advocacy group Media Matters. “Instead, they’ve chosen to focus on claims of supposed bias against conservatives that have no basis in fact. Jeff Sessions should stop wasting taxpayer resources for nefarious and political reasons.”
The Computer & Communications Industry Association counts the tech giants among its members.
“We have long advocated for constructive engagement with government at all levels to address complex issues relating to the diverse business models and practices of the tech companies leading our economic prosperity,” said CCIA President Ed Black in an interview Tuesday. “But if tech companies face what appear to be politically motivated investigations, it may become more necessary for companies to greatly expand their political presence in the more traditional arenas of fundraising, endorsements and elections focused on officials that attack tech for hyperbolic political reasons.”
Tuesday’s meeting was closed to the press. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio and Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim were also in attendance, according to the DOJ.
Also among the AGs in attendance was Louisiana’s Jeff Landry, who was expected to call for a breakup of tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter. Landry’s office has not returned a request for comment Tuesday about whether he presented his proposal.
Becerra’s office has not returned a request for comment about the meeting.
The DOJ said it expected the dialogue with the state AGs to continue.
There has been other antitrust-related activity in Washington recently. The Federal Trade Commission held an open hearing Friday on antitrust law as part of its series of hearings titled “Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century.” And there was a global antitrust symposium Tuesday at Georgetown Law in Washington, where Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition, gave the keynote address. U.S. officials from the FTC and the DOJ also attended.
