Democrats question Google's Trump talks over censorship suit and possible 'quid-pro-quo' deal
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A group of Democratic senators wrote a letter to Google expressing concern over a possible settlement between the company and President Trump.
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August 7, 2025
01:21 PM
CNBC
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Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on President Trump's nominees to lead the National Economic Council, Consumer Financial tection Bureau and Federal Housing Finance Agency, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 27, 2025
Annabelle Gordon | Reuteenate Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are asking Google and its YouTube unit whether discussions with lawyers for President Donald Trump have included the possibility of settling a censorship suit in exchange for potentially favorable treatment from the administration.In a letter sent Thursday to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, the senators asked the executives conversations with President Trump's lawyers over an lawsuit that was filed by Trump more than four years ago, accusing the online platform of unlawful censorship.The lawsuit stemmed from the suspension of Trump's accounts on social media sites after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S
Trump filed suits against Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube later that year.The senators highlighted reports of a court filing from May indicating that lawyers representing YouTube and President Trump were "engaged in ductive discussions." In that filing, the two parties asked the judge to delay a June court hearing until Sept. 8. "We are concerned the possibility that Google could settle the lawsuit against YouTube in a quid--quo arrangement to avoid full accountability for violating federal competition, consumer tection, and labor laws, circumstances that could result in the company running afoul of federal bribery laws," the letter states.Read more CNBC newsTrump's chip tariff declaration raises more questions than answeoftBank's Vision Fund posts best performance in 4 yearsApple and Trump detail $100 billion U.S. spending expansion, including $2.5 billion for an iPhone glass factoryOpenAI is giving ChatGPT to the government for $1Twitter (now X) and Facebook (now Meta) settled lawsuits with Trump this year, for $10 million and $25 million, respectively
Trump's 2021 suit claimed unconstitutional censorship after his accounts were susp
A judge dismissed the Twitter case in 2022, but Trump appealed.Under the 1996 Communications Decency Act, social media platforms are allowed to moderate content on their platforms and exempt themselves from liability for the material that users post.The senators noted in their letter that Google is a defendant in multiple unfair labor and antitrust lawsuits brought by the U.S. government
It also pointed to the company's donation of $1 million to President Trump's inaugural fund, and noted that Pichai att the president's inauguration and dined with him at Mar-a-Lago.Google currently faces the potential of being broken into parts, after the company lost an antitrust case last year brought by the Department of Justice related to Google's dominance in .The company argued that any kind of breakup could result in the U.S. ceding competition to China
The judge is expected to rule on the penalties this month
Google also has several open cases from the National Labor Relations Board, alleging unfair labor practices, the senators said."The company has substantial interests in almost every aspect of the federal government, from tax policy to energy and environmental policy, and much more," they wrote. "Google stands to benefit from how the federal government ceeds in these matters, and Google may settle this lawsuit in the hopes of securing outcomes favorable to the company."Despite calls for answers, Democratic senators have limited ability to force action as Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress.Google didn't immediately vide a .WATCH: Alphabet's valuation remains highly attractivewatch now4:3604:36Alphabet's valuation remains highly attractive, says Evercore ISI's Mark MahaneySquawk Box
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