Chair Jordan demands answers from dozens of major companies tied to shadowy ‘collusive’ ad group
One of the most powerful committees in Congress has sent a letter to dozens of major corporations in the United States demanding answers on their involvement in an advertising alliance that Republicans say is potentially trying to silence conservative voices in media and news.
‘The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight into the adequacy and enforcement of U.S. antitrust laws,’ the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee wrote in a letter to Adidas, one of more than 40 companies it reached out to in total, seeking answers about collusion concerns.
‘Through its oversight, the Committee has learned that collusive activity is occurring within the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), of which your company is a member. In particular, the Committee has uncovered evidence of coordinated action by GARM and its member companies, including boycotts of disfavored social media platforms, podcasts, and news outlets.’
Along with Adidas, the letter was sent to a variety of other companies, including American Express, Bayer, BP, Carhartt, Chanel, CVS and General Motors, asking them to preserve documents related to their involvement with GARM.
GARM describes itself on its website as a ‘cross-industry initiative established in 2019 by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) to help the industry address the challenge of illegal or harmful content on digital media platforms and its monetization via advertising.’
The website adds that GARM is ‘apolitical’ and ‘voluntary.’
Republicans aren’t so sure and suggest in their letters to the major corporations that GARM ‘has deviated far from its original intent, and has collectively used its immense market power to demonetize voices and viewpoints the group disagrees with.’
The committee previously released an extensive report outlining how it believes ‘large corporations, advertising agencies, and industry associations participated in boycotts and other coordinated action to demonetize platforms, podcasts, news outlets, and other content deemed disfavored by GARM and its members.’
The committee wrote, ‘For an organization reliant on speech and persuasion in advertising, GARM appears to have anti-democratic views of fundamental American freedoms. In discussing his views on freedom of speech, GARM’s leader and co-founder, Rob Rakowitz, has expressed frustration with an ‘extreme global interpretation of the US Constitution’ and complained about using ‘‘principles for governance’ and applying them as literal law from 230 years ago (made by white men exclusively).’ With this worldview, GARM pushed what it called ‘uncommon collaboration’ to ‘rise above individual commercial interest.’
The report claims that GARM facilitated advertising crackdowns on Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Spotify, political candidates and news outlets, including Fox News, The Daily Wire and Breitbart News.
Musk has gone as far as to suggest taking legal action against GARM while referring to it as an ‘advertising boycott racket.’
Fox News Digital reached out to GARM for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
In a statement to the New York Post, a World Federation of Advertisers spokesperson called the Republican charges ‘unfounded.’
‘GARM is not involved in operational steps relative to monetization eligibility, content ratings, platform assessments or media investment decisions,’ the statement said.