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Steve Bannon reportedly wanted a mole to apply for a Facebook job

Steve Bannon reportedly wanted a mole to apply for a Facebook job

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Breitbart chairman and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon once hoped to infiltrate Facebook’s hiring process to obtain information on the company, according to a new report from BuzzFeed.

“Seems perfect for Breitbart to flood the zone with candidates”

According to emails obtained by the outlet, the idea was broached by an official from the Family Research Council, a conservative lobbying group. The official, Chris Gacek, reportedly wrote in an email to Bannon that Facebook was hiring for a “Public Policy Manager” with the company’s WhatsApp arm.

At the time the email was sent, in August 2016, Bannon was still with Breitbart, but was just about to join the Trump campaign. Gacek wrote that it “seems perfect for Breitbart to flood the zone with candidates of all stripe who will report back to you / Milo [Yiannopoulos] with INTEL about the job application process over at FB.” (It’s unclear if they actually hoped someone would get the job.)

The idea was sent down the chain of command, according to BuzzFeed. Bannon forwarded the email to then-Breitbart tech editor Yiannopoulos, who sent it along to a group of contractors working for him. Whether or not anyone applied for the job, it ultimately went to a former Obama staffer.

In July of this year, The Intercept reported that Bannon was pushing the White House to more closely regulate tech companies. Since his exit from the administration, Bannon has continued to be critical of companies like Facebook and Google, arguing in a speech that they should be regulated as public utilities.