It's not particularly surprising that a powerful company like Google would seek to network with politicians and policy organizations to protect its business interests. The internet supergiant has made overtures toward conservative and Republican political groups, but it isn't stopping there. Leaked audio reveals Google executives are actively attempting to shape the conservative movement itself away from "nationalistic" tendencies and toward embracing a globalist establishment that the company no doubt believes is more in tune with its operating procedures.
Their Kind of Republican
In 2018, Google served as a sponsor to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). But the company apparently had more than reaching out to conservatives in mind. Breitbart reports it has parts of a leaked audio recording from a Google meeting held after the conference, in which Google's senior director of U.S. Policy, Adam Kovacevich disavows the “offensive things” discussed there. "[I]t has been a very valuable place for us to reach a lot of the people and the big tent of conservatism," Kovacevich stated of CPAC, but he allegedly suggests that Google should control the course of conservative thought:
"…We, I think, want probably — the majority of Googlers would want to steer conservatives and Republicans more towards a message of liberty and freedom and away from the more sort of nationalistic incendiary comments, nativist comments and things like that."
In one audio clip, Kovacevich reportedly complains of “growing negative attention from the conservative media which is influential among those same Republicans who control government … if that notion [that Google has anti-conservative bias] becomes accepted among conservative and Republican policymakers, that could be harmful to our mission of building products for everyone.”
Google has been accused of unfair bias towards grassroots conservatives for years. Even President Trump has spoken out on the matter. But it would seem the company is not content with merely suppressing these voices on internet searches or banning them on its dominant YouTube platform. Here we have Google captured on tape admitting that it wants to eliminate them from the Republican Party as well. Internet titans like Google and Facebook are not waging war specifically against Republicans but against those who question the ruling class. As such, an alliance between social media goliaths and Swamp elites appears a perfectly natural development.
As Wired.com reported in December, Google has close ties with establishment "conservative" think tanks in Washington, D.C. In the leaked audio, Kovacevich is caught explaining how this relationship works:
"Just to give you an example, [on Feb. 20, 2018] The New York Times Magazine cover story was all about breaking up Google. Among the people who wrote op-eds and blog posts rebutting that Times piece were two conservative think-tank officials who we work with closely — one from the American Enterprise Institute and one from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who both attended [the reception Google held at CPAC]."
A cozy relationship indeed.
Fast Friends
Google is not alone in its actions; Facebook has been at it for years. In 2013 it hired Andrea Saul, who served as press secretary for establishment stalwart Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, as well as being a former staffer for ex-Florida RINO Governor and current Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL). Saul currently serves as director of policy communications director for Facebook.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg signed up an array of GOP heavy hitters to be part of his push for immigration reform in 2013. Cobbling together a group disarmingly titled "Americans For a Conservative Direction," Zuckerberg enlisted the support of aides who served influential roles supporting prominent Republican faces. Among them were, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush chief of staff Sally Bradshaw, and former President George W. Bush's deputy chief of staff Joel Kaplan – as well as ex-Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.
The website Tech Crunch reported in 2018 on Facebook's deep ties to Republican-linked strategy firms, stating that this provided proof against claims that the company was anti-conservative. Of course, these GOP groups were establishment to the core. One of the main companies involved, Targeted Victory, was founded by Zac Moffatt, another ex-Mitt Romney aide. He served as digital director of Romney's failed bid for the White House.
"I think part of our work in the DC office and across all of our team is building relationships not just with the people in power but also with the people who influence them," Kovacevich says in that recorded Google conversation. Power tech companies are hooking up with power politicians. And why shouldn't they? After all, muffling authentic voices of the people is in both of their career interests.
