A perennial Republican challenger for Oregon 4th District Congressman Peter DeFazio’s office paid $20,000 to data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica in 2014. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, Art Robinson acknowledges those transactions.
FEC records show three payments from Robinson’s campaign. Cambridge Analytica is steeped in controversy following accusations it misused data from 50 million Facebook users to help the Trump campaign. But Robinson says his campaign used the London-based company four years ago to research and connect with Oregon voters.
“Cambridge Analytica at that time was using entirely commercial data. Everybody from the banks to the people you do business with stores data on people, and it’s useful to know their interests.”
Robinson aims to challenge Peter DeFazio a fifth time, if he beats four Republican rivals in the May Primary.
Meanwhile, DeFazio says Robinson’s dealings with Cambridge Analytica represents his ties to its billionaire investor, Robert Mercer.
“He was a principal in electing Donald Trump," DeFazio tells KLCC. "I was privileged to be the first politician attacked by a Super PAC, and it was funded by the same Robert Mercer.”
DeFazio says social media has become increasingly weaponized in politics.
Copyright 2018, KLCC.
