Senate Republican scrutinizes Meta over its handling of sexual harassment allegations
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent a letter to the company on Tuesday asking about allegations made public in March that one of its executives, Joel Kaplan, sent sexually harassing emails to an employee in 2015 and 2016. The letter also asked for information about any other substantiated allegations of sexual harassment or workplace misconduct against 'company leadership' since 2010 and for materials related to Meta's workplace training.
Later Tuesday, Meta responded to Grassley by letter and said it planned to turn over an internal report that, according to the company, cleared Kaplan of wrongdoing in 2017. Meta said it investigated the allegations against Kaplan and found them to be 'entirely without merit.'
Heidi Swartz, Meta's vice president of employment law and investigations, also offered in the letter to meet with Grassley's staff.
Grassley's review of the matter appears to be in an early stage, and it's part of a broader set of questions the senator has been asking about how Meta is complying with federal laws that protect whistleblowers.
Grassley's questions are part of the fallout from a bestselling memoir, 'Careless People,' by former Facebook employee Sarah Wynn-Williams. The book chronicles her six-plus years handling international affairs for the social media giant, a job that gave her direct contact with CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other C-suite executives.
In the book, Wynn-Williams, a lawyer and former New Zealand diplomat, blames the company for upending politics in the U.S. and elsewhere. She also makes allegations against Kaplan, who was her boss, and writes that she faced retaliation and was fired in 2017 after she reported Kaplan internally.
A spokesperson for Grassley said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday that the senator was 'reviewing the allegations Wynn-Williams brought before his committee to try to determine their veracity,' and is also reviewing Meta's response.
'Cooperation from both Meta and Wynn-Williams is essential as his office works to determine the fact pattern surrounding Wynn-Williams' allegations,' the spokesperson said.
Meta has pushed back on Wynn-Williams' allegations, saying that she was fired for performance reasons and is unreliable.
'Ms. Wynn-Williams brought her allegations only after it had been made clear to her that her ongoing and well-documented performance issues could no longer be ignored,' Swartz, the Meta lawyer, wrote in her response to Grassley.
Swartz added that 'Ms. Wynn-Williams is the sole person to have made such an allegation about Mr. Kaplan during his 14 years working at the company.' And she accused Wynn-Williams of being a frequent 'instigator' of off-color jokes during her time at the company.
In March, Meta won an arbitration order saying Wynn-Williams had violated a nondisparagement clause in her severance agreement. That has prevented her from promoting but not from releasing the memoir, which has spent several weeks on The New York Times' list of top-selling nonfiction.
Grassley, who has a long record of advocacy for whistleblower protections in the Senate, has expressed concern about Meta's treatment of Wynn-Williams as a whistleblower. Last month, he wrote to Zuckerberg with concerns that Meta was 'bullying' Wynn-Williams into staying silent. Meta says there is no restriction on Wynn-Williams speaking with investigators.
Last month, Wynn-Williams testified before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, where lawmakers of both parties expressed deep anger at the company on a variety of subjects. Many senators focused on the company's yearslong quest to break into the Chinese market, where its apps Facebook and Instagram are banned, and the privacy compromises Meta considered before abandoning the effort in 2019.
Ravi Naik, a lawyer for Wynn-Williams, said that Wynn-Williams welcomes Grassley's inquiry.
'My client appreciates the seriousness with which Chairman Grassley and his Senate colleagues are investigating these issues,' Naik said in a statement. 'Despite Meta and Mark Zuckerberg's claims of being free speech champions, they continue to silence my client, a whistleblower who stepped forward to report wrongful and illegal activity by the company that threatened the safety of its users, U.S. national security, and its employees.'
In Grassley's letter to Meta, he quoted three emails from Kaplan to Wynn-Williams, all three of which Wynn-Williams also quoted in her memoir. In one from 2016, Kaplan asked whether her U.S. citizenship test included the phrase 'dirty sanchez,' a sexual slang phrase and racial slur. In a second email from 2015, after Kaplan secured funding for a new position on her team, he emailed, 'Who is your sugar daddy?' And in a third from 2015, he promised that if she met a budget goal, he would 'personally buy you 'something nice' (niceness TBD by the beholder/buyer).'
Grassley wrote: 'I take very seriously allegations of whistleblower retaliation and sexual misconduct.'
At the time of the emails, Kaplan was Wynn-Williams' boss and a vice president for global public policy. Wynn-Williams wrote in her memoir that she considered the 2015 emails 'pretty mild' but that the 'dirty sanchez' question was a 'new low,' 'totally inappropriate' and a sign that his behavior was 'getting worse.'
In January, Zuckerberg promoted Kaplan to chief global affairs officer, making him the head of all lobbying activity for the company. Her allegations became public in March, when Wynn-Williams spoke about them in an interview with NBC News ahead of the publication of her memoir.
Meta has not disputed the accuracy of the emails or commented on their contents. Kaplan has also not commented on the allegations, and did not respond to an email request for comment on Grassley's letter. Some current and former Meta employees, including women, have said they had positive experiences working with and for Kaplan.
Swartz, the Meta lawyer, wrote to Grassley on Tuesday that the internal investigation of Kaplan did not cover his emails because, she wrote, Wynn-Williams did not raise the emails over the course of the investigation. Swartz wrote that she believed Wynn-Williams did not raise the emails at the time 'because she was aware that she was commonly the instigator and had a track record of making off-color jokes and did not want to prompt an investigation into her own behavior.'
In her memoir, Wynn-Williams describes the investigation differently. She writes that Meta quickly closed out the internal review of Kaplan 'before they'd received or reviewed all the documentation and information I said I would supply.'
Naik, the lawyer for Wynn-Williams, said in a statement: 'The emails and documentation speak for themselves. My client testified under oath before the Senate about this harassment and will continue to stand by the truth.'
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
3 minutes ago
- New York Post
Dog groomer caught on video punching pooches, slamming one pup against wall: authorities
A North Carolina pet groomer was caught on video punching pooches and slamming one cowering pup against a wall while at work, authorities said. Kirsten Rhea Taylor, 28, was arrested Thursday in Mooresville and charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty after she was identified as the employee seen brutalizing dogs at a local grooming business, Classy Critters, according to the Iredell County Sheriff's Department. 3 Kirsten Rhea Taylor, 28, was arrested Thursday in Mooresville, NC, and charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty after she was fingered as the employee seen brutalizing dogs at Classy Critters. Iredell County Sheriff's Office Advertisement Iredell County Animal Services was notified of the troubling footage, which was recorded by a concerned coworker and posted to Facebook, prompting the probe. The clips showed Taylor 'repeatedly striking and mishandling dogs during grooming sessions,' according to the sheriff's office. One video allegedly showed Taylor punching a dog several times while grooming it, and other footage captured a cowering pup repeatedly being hit and slammed against the wall. Advertisement 3 The clips show Taylor 'repeatedly striking and mishandling dogs during grooming sessions,' authorities said. The Kris Kelly Foundation At least four separate dogs belonging to clients who brought them in for routine care were seen being treated in an aggressive and abusive manner, police said. The suspected animal-abuse case was handed over to the sheriff's office because of the severity of the allegations, and arrest warrants were secured for Taylor, officials said. 'This case highlights the critical importance of coordinated responses in matters involving animal cruelty,' Sheriff Darren Campbell said in a statement. Advertisement 3 Footage allegedly shows Taylor punching one pooch several times while grooming it. The Kris Kelly Foundation 'We will always take allegations of animal abuse seriously and will hold offenders accountable,' Campbell said. The owner of Classy Critters has since confirmed that Taylor no longer works at the facility, Local 3 News reported. Advertisement Taylor's bail has been set at $10,000
Chicago Tribune
3 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Disgraced former US Rep. George Santos to begin serving his 7-year fraud sentence
NEW YORK — Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos is expected to begin serving a seven-year prison sentence on Friday for the fraud charges that got him ousted from Congress. The New York Republican pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for deceiving donors and stealing people's identities in order to fund his congressional campaign. He must report to federal prison before 2 p.m. It's unclear where he'll serve his time, though a federal judge has recommended that Santos be housed in a facility in the Northeast. Santos and his lawyers repeatedly declined to comment to The Associated Press, and the federal Bureau of Prisons said it doesn't discuss the status of inmates until they're officially in custody. In a Thursday interview with Al Arabiya, a Saudi state-owned news organization, Santos said he'll serve his sentence in a minimum-security prison 'camp' that he described as a 'big upgrade' from the medium-security lockup he was initially assigned to. The ever-online Santos, who turned 37 on Tuesday, also hosted a farewell party for himself on the social media platform X on Thursday night. 'Well, darlings…The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,' he wrote in a post afterwards. 'From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days.' In April, a federal judge declined to give Santos a lighter two-year sentence that he sought, saying she was unconvinced he was truly remorseful. In the weeks before his sentencing, Santos said he was 'profoundly sorry' for his crimes, but he also complained frequently that he was a victim of a political witch hunt and prosecutorial overreach. Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP. But he served for less than a year and became just the sixth member of the House to be ousted by colleagues after it was revealed he had fabricated much of his life story. During his winning campaign, Santos painted himself as a successful business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms when, in reality, he was struggling financially. He also falsely claimed to have been a volleyball star at a college he never attended and referred to himself as 'a proud American Jew' before insisting he meant that he was 'Jew-ish' because his Brazilian mother's family had a Jewish background. The cascade of lies eventually led to congressional and criminal inquiries into how Santos funded his campaign and, ultimately, his political downfall. Since his ouster from Congress, Santos has been making a living hosting a podcast called 'Pants on Fire with George Santos' and hawking personalized video messages on Cameo. He has also been holding out hope that his unwavering support for President Donald Trump might help him win a last-minute reprieve. The White House said this week that it 'will not comment on the existence or nonexistence' of any clemency request. In media appearances this month, the former lawmaker wasn't shy about sharing his morbid fears about life behind bars. 'I'm not trying to be overdramatic here. I'm just being honest with you. I look at this as practically a death sentence,' Santos told Tucker Carlson during an interview. 'I'm not built for this.' On social media, his recent musings have sometimes taken a dark turn. 'I'm heading to prison, folks and I need you to hear this loud and clear: I'm not suicidal. I'm not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I'm in there,' he said on X. 'If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider it a lie … full stop.'
Chicago Tribune
3 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
President Donald Trump wants to play global peacemaker. Derailed Gaza ceasefire shows how daunting that ambition is
WASHINGTON — The United States cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks this week plunges one of President Donald Trump's pushes to solve global conflicts into new uncertainty. The derailing of talks to solve the 21-month Israel-Hamas war is the latest blow to Trump as several of his efforts to broker agreements for fraught conflicts and complex global threats have stalled. Though the Republican president has only been back in office for six months, he has sought to be known as a peacemaker. In some cases, he has set ambitious goals that have fallen short, like a promise to end the still-ongoing war in Ukraine before he took office. Trump has said he's seeking the deals to stop destruction and loss of life. But he has also been open about his ambition to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, prompting some of those seeking to cultivate favor with Trump to nominate him for the prestigious recognition. Here's a look at where some of Trump's efforts to strike peace and security deals stand. STATUS: No major breakthroughs in recent talks. THE BACKSTORY: Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday that the U.S. was bringing home its negotiating team from Qatar, where talks were ongoing, to assess its next steps. Witkoff said the move was made because Hamas was not showing 'good faith' toward reaching a ceasefire, but U.S. officials did not offer specifics. No major breakthroughs have occurred despite weeks of talks in Qatar, along with a visit early this month to the White House by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Witkoff said the U.S. would 'consider alternative options to bring the hostages home,' but U.S. officials did not answer questions about what those options could include. When asked about next steps on Friday, Trump told reporters that Hamas didn't want to make a deal and said, 'I think what's going to happen is they're going to be hunted down.' STATUS: War still going on. THE BACKSTORY: Before he returned to office, Trump repeatedly said he would solve the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours — and even before he was sworn in as president. That didn't happen, and both sides remain far apart on reaching an agreement. Trump has become increasingly critical of President Vladimir Putin in recent months and is losing patience with his continued offensive in Ukraine. But Trump has resisted backing a bipartisan U.S. bill to impose steep sanctions on Russia, instead giving Russia 50 days to accept a peace deal or face sanctions on its energy exports. The delay has given Russia a window to continue a stepped-up offensive in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week reiterated his willingness to meet face-to-face with Putin to end the conflict. Russia has rejected the offer, saying the countries are too far apart. Lower-level Ukrainian and Russian officials met Wednesday for talks in Istanbul, but no breakthroughs were announced. Putin has said any peace deal should include Ukraine withdrawing from the four regions that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022 but did not fully capture. He also wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO and accept limits on its military. Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected those terms. STATUS: Open conflict ended for the moment. Many unanswered questions remain. THE BACKSTORY: Trump was able to broker a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran after the U.S. joined Israel in launching strikes on Iran's nuclear program. But the status of Iran's nuclear program is another unanswered question for the Trump administration. While the recent U.S. and Israeli strikes dealt a blow to Iran's nuclear capacities, the United States has still not struck an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program. An Iranian diplomat said Wednesday that his country was ready to engage in talks on its nuclear program with the United States, but only after Washington takes meaningful steps to rebuild trust. Meanwhile, Iran has opened the door to a separate yet related negotiation track with Britain, France and Germany, three of the remaining members of a 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump withdrew the United States from in his first term. Foreign ministers from the four countries met in Istanbul on Friday to discuss European threats to reimpose sanctions on Iran if there is no progress on a deal to limit its nuclear program by August. While deals in some of the most pressing conflicts have remained elusive to Trump, he has helped to broker agreements in the months he's been back in office. RWANDA-DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: In June, he invited leaders from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the White House to sign an agreement seen as a major step toward peace after decades of conflict. The U.S.-brokered deal emphasizes the two neighboring countries' sovereignty and territorial integrity and includes a commitment to end hostilities and backing of armed groups. The deal also helps the U.S. government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the region. INDIA-PAKISTAN: In May, when a series of military strikes brought longtime nuclear adversaries India and Pakistan closer to war, Trump's administration intervened. The nations agreed to stop fighting after the U.S.-led talks, and Trump said he would work to provide a 'solution' to the long-running dispute over the Indian-controlled Kashmir region. The ceasefire has held, but it's not clear what progress has been made on any long-term agreement. Last month, Trump had lunch at the White House with Asim Munir, Pakistan's army chief. SYRIA-ISRAEL: Earlier this month, after Israel intervened in fighting between Syrian government forces and rival armed groups, Trump's special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, announced a limited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria. Barrack, who's also the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, said he met in Paris on Thursday with representatives from both countries to discuss de-escalation. Barrack said on social media that 'we accomplished precisely that' and that both sides committed to continuing the effort. Israel's intervention, however, caught Trump off guard and stymied his administration's push to get both countries to reach a full normalization of diplomatic relations.
