Grassley presses Zuckerberg over Meta's treatment of whistleblower
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Monday asking him to address alleged attempts to silence a former employee who approached his office with whistleblower allegations against the company.
Ex-staffer Sarah Wynn-Williams came forward with reports of the tech corporation's uncanny ties to China, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and practices targeting vulnerable teenagers during her testimony at a Senate hearing last week.
Wynn-Williams also alleged that her severance agreement violated the Securities Exchange Commission's (SEC) regulation by restricting her from claiming any monetary reward for reporting illegal conduct.
'According to Ms. Wynn-Williams' disclosures, Meta has sought to silence her by seeking to collect $50,000 per disparaging statement against the company,' Grassley wrote in the letter to Zuckerberg.
'The tactics used by Meta are clearly aimed at silencing Ms. Wynn-Williams, a brave whistleblower who courageously testified in the face of Meta's threats at the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism on April 9, 2025. It's crucial that Meta ensures its employees can provide protected disclosures without illegal restrictions and bullying,' he continued.
A Meta spokesperson did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on the matter. However, a company spokesperson said its services are banned in China in previous comments despite claims that Meta executives are working to 'win favor' with leaders in Beijing to build an $18 billion business in the country.
As a result of Wynn-Williams' claims, Grassley has requested an updated copy of severance, non-disparagement, and other employment agreements, in addition to a list of employee requests to disclose information to federal authorities or Congress since 2015 and a tally of how many SEC investigations Meta or its subsidiaries have been subject to in the past ten years.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has also called on Zuckerberg to testify before Congress following allegations that Meta intentionally undermined U.S. national security.
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