BuzzFeed News; Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images
The Trump Organization negotiated on behalf of then-president Donald Trump to make Parler his primary social network, but it had a condition: an ownership stake in return for joining, according to documents and four people familiar with the conversations. The deal was never finalized, but legal experts said the discussions alone, which occurred while Trump was still in office, raise legal concerns with regards to anti-bribery laws.
Talks between members of Trump’s campaign and Parler about Trump’s potential involvement began last summer, and were revisited in November by the Trump Organization after Trump lost the 2020 election to the Democratic nominee and current president, Joe Biden. Documents seen by BuzzFeed News show that Parler offered the Trump Organization a 40% stake in the company. It is unclear as to what extent the former president was involved with the discussions.
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Parler CEO John Matze Has Been Fired; Conservative Social Media Platform Still Dark Deadline 2/4/2021
John Matze, chief executive of Parler, has been asked to step down, weeks after the conservative social media platform went dark.
Apple and Google removed Parler from their app stores after the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Amazon Web Services subsequently declined to host the the platform, citing ongoing, violent posts that violated its terms of service. Parler slapped AWS with an antitrust lawsuit but a judge denied its request for a temporary restraining order.
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Matze co-founded Henderson, Nevada-based Parler in 2018 with Jared Thomson and conservative political donor Rebekah Mercer. It became a preferred platform for right wing conspiracists and Trump supporters, including those who were pushed off Twitter. His ouster comes as former President Trump faces an impeachment trial in the Senate next week for inciting insurrection.