OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz said he sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission requesting an investigation into GoFundMe after the for-profit crowdfunding platform announced they had ended the fundraiser for Canadian truckers.
“Today I sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking that the FTC open an investigation into GoFundMe into whether they’ve committed deceptive trade practices,” Cruz told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo.
“Because when people gave money, they gave money under the promise it would go to the Freedom Convoy, not to whatever left-wing political ideology GoFundMe and other Silicon Valley companies support. They are deceiving consumers and it is wrong,” Cruz said.
“On Friday, GoFundMe ended the fundraiser for the Canadian truckers protesting the federal government’s vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers, citing ‘evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation,'” Fox News reported. “The crowdfunding platform initially announced that the roughly remaining $9 million raised would be given to organizations approved by Freedom Convoy organizers and verified by the site, instead of refunding the donations.”
Below is a transcript of the exchange:
BARTIROMO: “Senator, talking about Big Tech censorship and your efforts to stop what’s going on for the truckers. There’s been censorship of their convoy in Canada and also Facebook has removed their page for a D.C. rally. These truckers raised money in a GoFundMe situation and the GoFundMe official said, ‘Well, you want to protest a vaccine, we are going to seize your $10 million that you raised.’ Can you imagine, people donate to GoFundMe because they are donating to a certain cause. GoFundMe thought nothing of saying, ‘We will seize the $10 million and give it to the charities that we want to give it to,’ until they had to backtrack. What are you going to do about it?”
CRUZ: “Yeah. Well, listen, it is theft on the part of GoFundMe. Let me say that Canadian truckers are heroes. They are patriots and they are marching for your freedom and my freedom. Those truck drivers that — God bless them, they are defending Canada, but they are defending America as well. That is courage on display, that the government doesn’t have the right to force you to comply to their arbitrary mandates. They are standing up for freedom and of course big government hates it and is trying to crush them.
Of course, the corporate media hates it and is trying to silence them. And Big Tech, you look at what GoFundMe did, people gave $10 million to support the freedom convoy because they were so proud of the courage of these truck drivers and the thieves in Silicon Valley decided, ‘We don’t like your politics, so a) we will take your money, and then b) we will give it to people we like.’ Listen, if anyone else did that, that is called theft. So today, I sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking that the FTC open an investigation into GoFundMe into whether they have committed deceptive trade practices because, when people gave money, they gave money under the promise it would go to the freedom convoy, not to whatever left-wing political ideology GoFundMe and other Silicon Valley companies support. They are deceiving consumers and it is wrong.”
WATCH:
After being threatened by several Republicans last week that they would face a potential fraud investigation, GoFundMe reversed a decision to redistribute money given to the Canadian “Freedom Convoy.”
