Google-Funded Conservative Groups Urge Congress to Avoid Antitrust Action Against Big Tech

A group of “free-market and low-tax advocates” are urging House Republicans to back off plans to take antitrust action against Big Tech companies.

The Washington Times reported the “conservative activists” authored a 10-page letter to Republican U.S. Reps. Ken Buck (CO), Matt Gaetz (FL), and Andy Biggs (AZ) and it said in part:

We fear that today, both sides of the aisle are pushing for the weaponization of antitrust, either as a tool to punish corporate actors with whom they disagree or out of a presupposition that big is bad.

Unfortunately, the antitrust debate has begun to devolve into a litany of unrelated and often contradictory concerns, unsubstantiated and dismissive attacks, and seemingly a presumption that any market-related complaint that can be made on the internet can also be cured by the panacea of antitrust.

The letter contained the signatures of officials and representatives from several organizations, including The Committee for Justice, National Taxpayers Union, The Bork Foundation, Independence Institute, Libertas Institute, Conservatives for Property Rights, Institute for Policy Innovation, American Action Forum, Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagles, Digital Liberty, Lone Star Policy Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Committee to Unleash Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, Consumer Choice Center, Pelican Center for Technology and Innovation, American Consumer Institute, FreedomWorks, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, and the American Conservative Union.

A review of Google’s “most substantial contributions” found several of the signatories are also recipients of donations from the company, including:

• American Action Forum
• American Conservative Union
• Americans for Tax Reform
• Competitive Enterprise Institute
• National Taxpayers Union

A source familiar with the situation told Breitbart News that Google helped author the letter, which a representative for the Committee for Justice denied.

‘That is entirely false, and there is no reason why anyone should think that. Google did not participate in any part of the process of drafting the letter. I was the sole drafter of the letter,” Ashley Baker, the group’s director of public policy, said.

A spokesman for Buck told Breitbart News his office did not receive the letter and learned about it in the media.

Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays–download full podcast episodes. Follow him on Parler.