The House Judiciary Committee is ramping up its investigation into the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), which allegedly colluded with advertisers to keep business from conservative news outlets.
The Daily Wire reports Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Thursday wrote to more than 40 companies connected to GARM, instructing them to turn over relevant documents to the committee. Jordan also asked the companies—including behemoths like Pepsi, Adidas, and Shell—whether they agreed with GARM’s actions.
“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,” Jordan writes.
The panel, chaired by Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), asked the companies — which included Adidas, American Express, Bayer, BP, Carhartt, Chanel, CVS, General Motors and Goldman Sachs — to preserve documents and provide information pertaining to their activities with the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM).
“The Committee has learned that collusive activity is occurring within the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, of which your company is a member,” the letter began.
Jordan’s letter is the latest step in the committee’s probe of GARM. Last month, Media Confidential reported on Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro testimony before the committee about GARM’s actions. Emails obtained by the committee showed GARM and ad-buying executives expressing contempt for conservatives, admitting that they used rules about “conspiracy theories” and “misinformation” as a pretext to withhold revenue from conservative news sites, including The Daily Wire.
The committee’s investigation could clarify whether GARM and ad firms were manipulating or misrepresenting their customers, or if those customers were active participants in denying ads to conservative websites. If those companies—many of whom are direct competitors—coordinated their activities, they could run afoul of antitrust laws, Jordan said.
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