Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, submitted a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking for a “robust” examination of the role Parler played in the siege on the Capitol January 6.
Maloney said it was a top priority for her committee to answer questions about Parler, a social media site that became popular with conservatives, and its role in encouraging violence.
Of particular interest is its ties to Russia, with its use of a Russian-owned Web services company, DDoS-Guard, that also has Russian government clients and may leave Parler vulnerable to data requests by Russian agencies.
“I am going to get to the bottom of who owns and funds social media platforms like Parler that condone and create violence,” Maloney said in an interview with The Washington Post.
Parler previously has described its ownership and leadership as based in the United States, with conservative financier Rebekah Mercer and commentator Dan Bongino among its investors.
A federal judge on Thursday denied a request for Amazon to immediately restore its hosting services to Parler after it booted the media platform earlier this month.
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