WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Executives from Facebook, Alphabet Inc’s Google and Twitter have been asked to testify to the U.S. Congress in coming weeks as lawmakers probe Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. election, committee sources said on Wednesday.

A Senate aide said executives from the three firms had been asked by the Senate Intelligence Committee to appear at a public hearing on Nov. 1.

The leaders of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee said the panel would hold an open hearing next month with representatives from unnamed technology companies in an effort to “better understand how Russia used online tools and platforms to sow discord in and influence our election.”

Representatives for Facebook and Google confirmed they had received invitations from the Senate committee but did not say whether the companies would attend. Twitter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The House panel did not immediately identify any companies, but a committee source said lawmakers expected to hear from the same three firms the Senate had asked to testify.

The requests are the latest move by congressional investigators to gain information from internet companies as they probe the extent of Moscow’s alleged efforts to disrupt last year’s U.S. election. Lawmakers in both parties have grown increasingly concerned that social networks may have played a key role in Russia’s influence operation.

Facebook revealed this month that suspected Russian trolls purchased more than $100,000 worth of divisive ads on its platform during the 2016 election cycle, a revelation that has prompted calls from some Democrats for new disclosure rules for online political ads.

On Wednesday, Trump attacked Facebook in a tweet and suggested the world’s largest social network had colluded with other media outlets that opposed him. The president has been skeptical of the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the election and has denied his campaign colluded with Moscow.

The salvo prompted a lengthy rebuke from Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, who said both Trump and liberals were upset about ideas and content on Facebook during the campaign.

“That’s what running a platform for all ideas looks like,” Zuckerberg wrote on his personal Facebook page.

Other internet firms besides Facebook are also facing rising scrutiny over how Russia may have leveraged their platforms. Twitter is expected to privately brief the Senate panel on Thursday.

Republican Senator James Lankford, who has received classified information about Russia’s interference as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Wednesday that the country’s attempts to sow discord in U.S. domestic affairs had not abated.

Russian internet trolls over the weekend fueled the debate ignited by Trump over whether NFL players should have the right to kneel during the national anthem, Lankford said.

Slideshow (3 Images)

Also on Wednesday, the Daily Beast, citing unnamed sources, reported that a Facebook group named “United Muslims of America” was a fake account linked to the Russian government and that it was used to push false claims about U.S. politicians, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The group bought Facebook ads to reach targeted audiences, promoting political rallies aimed at Muslims, the website reported.

The Senate and House intelligence committees are two of the main congressional panels probing allegations that Russia sought to interfere in the U.S. election to boost Trump’s chances at winning the White House, and possible collusion between Trump associates and Russia.</s>The companies have been invited to appear before the House intelligence committee in October and before the Senate intelligence committee.

The House and Senate intelligence committees have invited tech giants Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet - the parent company of Google - to appear for public hearings as part of their investigations into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, The Associated Press has learned.

The companies have been invited to appear before the House intelligence committee in October and before the Senate intelligence committee on Nov. 1.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, confirmed the House invitation in an interview with the AP, though he noted a date had not yet been set. The details of the invitation from the Senate intelligence committee were confirmed by two people familiar with the panel's interactions with the companies. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private invitations.

It's not yet clear whether the companies have agreed to accept the invitations for the public hearings. Facebook confirmed it had received the Senate invitation, Twitter declined to comment and Google did not respond to a request for comment.

The hearings come as both panels have been scrutinizing the ways that the social media platforms and online ads were used by Russians to influence the election. The committees are particularly examining the spread of false news stories and propaganda and whether anyone in the United States helped target those stories to specific users on social media platforms.

On Thursday, Twitter is scheduled to meet behind closed doors with staff on both the Senate and the House intelligence committees. The company's representatives will likely face questions about the spread of false news stories and propaganda through the use of fake accounts and automated bot networks.

In a statement this month, Twitter said it "deeply respects the integrity of the election process," and it has worked to combat "bots and other forms of manipulation that violate our Terms of Service."

Lawmakers have also been calling for more information from Facebook, which last week agreed to provide the committee with the content of about 3,000 ads, bought by a Russian agency, that were aimed at stirring up divisive political and social issues. Some of those ads included references to presidential candidates in the 2016 election.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said the company will work to make political advertising on its platform more transparent. Facebook already has met behind closed doors with both committees' staff as part of the investigations.</s>Executives from Facebook , Alphabet Inc's Google and Twitter will appear in the US Congress in the coming weeks as lawmakers probe Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 US election, committee sources said on Wednesday.

A Senate aide said executives from the three firms had been asked by the Senate Intelligence Committee to testify at a public hearing on Nov. 1.

The leaders of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee said the panel would hold an open hearing with technology companies as part of its investigation.

'In the coming month, we will hold an open hearing with representatives from tech companies in order to better understand how Russia used online tools and platforms to sow discord in and influence our election,' the committee's top Democrat, Representative Adam Schiff, and Representative Mike Conaway, the Republican leading the investigation, said in a statement.

They did not immediately identify any companies. But a committee source said the House panel hoped to hear from the same firms.

'We anticipate it will be necessary for the American people to hear directly from tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google, as well as other relevant experts,' the source said.

Some US lawmakers, increasingly alarmed about evidence that hackers used the internet to spread fake news and otherwise influence the 2016 election, have been pushing for more information about the influence of social networks in particular.

The Senate and House intelligence committees are two of the main congressional panels probing allegations that Russia sought to interfere in the US election to boost Republican President Donald Trump's chances at winning the White House, and possible collusion between Trump associates and Russia.

Moscow denies any such activity, and Trump dismissed any talk of such collusion.

Facebook recently revealed that for just $100,000, apparent Russia-linked buyers placed some 3,000 advertisements on its pages last year that appeared aimed at influencing the election.

Facebook has turned the details of those ads over to investigators. According to reports, the ads sought to boost the Democratic and Republican rivals of then-election frontrunner Hillary Clinton, as well as to sow discord among Americans in ways that would damage Clinton's voter base.

'The vast majority of ads run by these accounts didn't specifically reference the US presidential election, voting or a particular candidate,' Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos said early this month.

'Rather, the ads and accounts appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum -- touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.'

Google, a unit of Alphabet, has said it was not used in the alleged Russian campaign to steer the US election.

But according to Buzzfeed, its automated ad-targeting system lets advertisers direct ads to people using racist and anti-Semitic search terms.

Twitter meanwhile has been shown to be a dense thicket of easily faked accounts and news items that allowed alleged Russian operatives to pump out politically divisive and anti-Clinton tweets.</s>The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked top tech companies Google, Facebook and Twitter to testify about Russian interference in United States politics, a Senate aide confirmed on Wednesday.

The three internet and online social media giants are expected to appear on November 1 in an open hearing on the rising evidence that they were covertly manipulated in a campaign to help Donald Trump win the presidency.

Before that they could also testify in the House Intelligence Committee: Representatives Mike Conaway and Adam Schiff, who lead the committee’s Russia probe, announced late Wednesday they too had invited representatives of technology firms to testify on Russian manipulation.

“Congress and the American people need to hear this important information directly from these companies,” they said.

Facebook recently revealed that for just $100,000, apparent Russia-linked buyers placed some 3,000 advertisements on its pages last year that appeared aimed at influencing the election.

Facebook has turned the details of those ads over to investigators. According to reports, the ads sought to boost the Democratic and Republican rivals of then-election frontrunner Hillary Clinton, as well as to sow discord among Americans in ways that would damage Clinton’s voter base.

“The vast majority of ads run by these accounts didn’t specifically reference the US presidential election, voting or a particular candidate,” Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos said early this month.

“Rather, the ads and accounts appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum — touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.”

Google, a unit of Alphabet, has said it was not used in the alleged Russian campaign to steer the US election.

But according to Buzzfeed, its automated ad-targeting system lets advertisers direct ads to people using racist and anti-Semitic search terms.

Twitter meanwhile has been shown to be a dense thicket of easily faked accounts and news items that allowed alleged Russian operatives to pump out politically divisive and anti-Clinton tweets.</s>The committee is planning to hold a hearing in October and the Senate intelligence committee has invited witnesses to appear on Nov 1.

Washington: Social media giant Twitter will visit Capitol Hill Thursday as part of the House and Senate investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

Twitter's closed-door meetings with staff follow similar briefings from Facebook earlier this month, and the House and Senate panels have invited both tech giants, along with Google, to appear at public hearings this fall. The committees are scrutinizing the spread of false news stories and propaganda on social media, to what extent Russia was involved and whether anyone in the United States helped target those stories.

Unlike Facebook, which has said phony accounts on its platform attempted to stir up divisiveness in the election, Twitter has remained mostly silent. The two social media companies have different types of platforms, as Twitter allows users to register anonymously and has more public accounts than Facebook. Many lawmakers have expressed concerns about the proliferation of anonymous "bots" on Twitter and their potential to spread misinformation.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, said Wednesday that he hopes Twitter will be forthcoming.

"They have obviously a different business model, and also they've never tried to prevent fake accounts, use of bots," Warner said, comparing the company to Facebook. "They don't deny they have allowed more anonymity. So they've got a different business model, we've got different questions for them."

Still, Warner said, the investigation is ultimately up to how people manipulated both of those platforms.

"People deserve to know," Warner said.

Twitter last week confirmed that officials would be meeting with the Senate panel and issued a statement pledging to improve defenses on its platform.

"Twitter deeply respects the integrity of the election process, a cornerstone of all democracies, and will continue to strengthen our platform against bots and other forms of manipulation that violate our Terms of Service," the company said in a statement.

Staff on both panels is likely to ask Twitter about the bots, and also about some of the potential vulnerabilities in terms of tracing potential foreign intrusions. There have been concerns among some lawmakers that the company doesn't move quickly enough to remove posts and isn't able to track the original postings that were spread and retweeted.

Twitter, Facebook and Google haven't yet said whether they will accept the invitations to testify publicly before both intelligence committees. The House intelligence committee is planning to hold a hearing in October and the Senate intelligence committee has invited witnesses to appear on Nov. 1.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, confirmed the House invitation in an interview with the AP, though he noted a date had not yet been set. The details of the invitation from the Senate intelligence committee were confirmed by two people familiar with the panel's interactions with the companies. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private invitations.

The companies have some incentive to comply, as Warner and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar have said they are preparing legislation that would enhance transparency for online political ads and require social media companies to keep a public file of election ads and communications. The bill would also ask companies to "make reasonable efforts" to ensure that election ads are not purchased directly or indirectly by a foreign national.

Warner said it's his "hope and expectation" that the companies would work with him on the legislation, which he called "probably the lightest touch possible."

Congress so far has been reluctant to regulate social media companies. But Warner and Klobuchar started working on the legislation as Facebook acknowledged that the hundreds of phony Facebook accounts, likely run from Russia, spent about $100,000 on ads aimed at stirring up divisive issues such as gun control and race relations during the 2016 campaign.

Facing pressure from lawmakers and the public after that original announcement, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said last week that the company will provide congressional investigators with the contents of 3,000 ads bought by a Russian agency, while also pledging to make political advertising on its platform more transparent.

"I don't want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy," Zuckerberg said in a Facebook video and wrote in an accompanying post. "That's not what we stand for."

On Wednesday, a GOP member of the Senate intelligence panel said Russian internet trolls are exploiting the controversy over NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to stir up divisions in the United States.

Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma said paid social media users, or "trolls," were hash-tagging "take a knee" and "boycott NFL" to amplify the issue.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House and Senate intelligence committees are inviting tech giants Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet — the parent company of Google — to appear for public hearings as part of their investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, The Associated Press has learned.

The House intelligence committee is planning to hold a hearing in October and the Senate intelligence committee has invited witnesses to appear Nov. 1. The announcements of public hearings come the day before Twitter is scheduled to hold closed-door staff briefings with both panels.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, confirmed the House hearing in an interview with the AP, though he noted a date had not yet been set.

In a joint statement, Schiff and Republican Rep. Mike Conaway from Texas, who is leading the House investigation, said they will hold an open hearing in the coming month “with representatives from tech companies in order to better understand how Russia used online tools and platforms to sow discord in and influence our election.”

They added, “Congress and the American people need to hear this important information directly from these companies.”

The details of the invitation from the Senate intelligence committee were confirmed by two people familiar with the panel’s interactions with the companies. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private invitations.

It’s not yet clear whether the companies will accept the invitations to appear. Facebook and Google confirmed they had received the Senate invitations and Twitter declined to comment.

The hearings come as both panels have been scrutinizing the ways that the social media platforms and online ads were used by Russians to influence the election. The committees are examining the spread of false news stories and propaganda and whether anyone in the United States helped target those stories to specific users on social media platforms.

In the closed-door briefings Thursday, Twitter’s representatives will likely face questions about the spread of false news stories and propaganda through the use of fake accounts and automated bot networks.

In a statement this month, Twitter said it “deeply respects the integrity of the election process,” and it has worked to combat “bots and other forms of manipulation that violate our Terms of Service.”

Lawmakers have also been calling for more information from Facebook, which last week agreed to provide the committee with the content of about 3,000 ads, bought by a Russian agency, that were aimed at stirring up divisive political and social issues. Some of those ads included references to presidential candidates in the 2016 election.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said the company will work to make political advertising on its platform more transparent. Facebook already has met behind closed doors with both committees’ staff as part of the investigations.

Also Wednesday, a GOP member of the Senate intelligence panel said Russian internet trolls are exploiting the controversy over NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to stir up divisions in the United States.

Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said paid social media users, or “trolls,” were hashtagging “take a knee” and “boycott NFL” to amplify the issue.</s>Executives from Facebook , Alphabet Inc's Google and Twitter will testify to US Congress as lawmakers probe Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 US elections, committee sources say.

A Senate aide said on Wednesday the executives had been asked by the Senate intelligence committee to testify at a public hearing on November 1.

The leaders of the House of Representatives intelligence committee said the panel would hold an open hearing with technology companies as part of its investigation.

"In the coming month, we will hold an open hearing with representatives from tech companies in order to better understand how Russia used online tools and platforms to sow discord in and influence our election," the committee's top Democrat, Representative Adam Schiff, and Representative Mike Conaway, the Republican leading the investigation, said.

They did not immediately identify any companies but a committee source said the House panel hoped to hear from the same firms.

Some US lawmakers, increasingly alarmed about evidence that hackers used the internet to spread fake news and otherwise influence the 2016 election, have been pushing for more information about the influence of social networks.

The committees are the main congressional panels probing allegations Russia sought to interfere in the US election to boost Republican President Donald Trump's chances at winning the White House, and possible collusion between Trump associates and Russia.

Moscow denies any such activity and Trump dismisses talk of such collusion.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — Executives of the social media giant Twitter spoke with House and Senate investigators Thursday at the Capitol about Russian interference in the 2016 elections and anonymous “bots” that can spread misinformation.

Twitter executives visited both the Senate and House intelligence committees, briefing staff members in closed-door meetings that lasted several hours. The executives included attorney Elizabeth Banker; Emily Horne, global policy communications director; Carlos Monje, the company’s director of public policy and philanthropy and Colin Crowell, a vice president of public policy, government and corporate philanthropy.

The meetings come after similar briefings from Facebook earlier this month. The House and Senate panels have invited both tech giants, along with Google, to appear at public hearings this fall.

The committees are scrutinizing the spread of false news stories and propaganda on social media, to what extent Russia was involved and whether anyone in the United States helped target those stories.

Unlike Facebook, which has said phony accounts on its platform attempted to stir up divisiveness in the election, Twitter has remained mostly silent. The two social media companies have different types of platforms, as Twitter allows users to register anonymously and has more public accounts than Facebook. Many lawmakers have expressed concerns about the proliferation of the anonymous “bots.”

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, said Wednesday that he hopes Twitter will be forthcoming.

“They have obviously a different business model, and also they’ve never tried to prevent fake accounts, use of bots,” Warner said, comparing the company to Facebook. “They don’t deny they have allowed more anonymity. So they’ve got a different business model, we’ve got different questions for them.”

Still, Warner said, the investigation is ultimately up to how people manipulated both of those platforms.

Twitter last week confirmed that officials would be meeting with the Senate panel and issued a statement pledging to improve defenses on its platform.

“Twitter deeply respects the integrity of the election process, a cornerstone of all democracies, and will continue to strengthen our platform against bots and other forms of manipulation that violate our Terms of Service,” the company said in a statement.

Staff on both panels are likely to ask Twitter about the bots, and also about some of the potential vulnerabilities in terms of tracing potential foreign intrusions. There have been concerns among some lawmakers that the company doesn’t move quickly enough to remove posts and isn’t able to track the original postings that were spread and retweeted.

Twitter, Facebook and Google haven’t yet said whether they will accept the invitations to testify publicly before both intelligence committees. The House intelligence committee is planning to hold a hearing in October and the Senate intelligence committee has invited witnesses to appear on Nov. 1.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, confirmed the House hearing in an interview with the AP, though he noted a date had not yet been set. The details of the invitation from the Senate intelligence committee were confirmed by two people familiar with the panel’s interactions with the companies. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private invitations.

The companies have some incentive to comply with Congress and appear, as Warner and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar have said they are preparing legislation that would enhance transparency for online political ads and require social media companies to keep a public file of election ads and communications. The bill would also ask companies to “make reasonable efforts” to ensure that election ads are not purchased directly or indirectly by a foreign national.

Warner said it’s his “hope and expectation” that the companies would work with him on the legislation, which he called “probably the lightest touch possible.”

Congress so far has been reluctant to regulate social media companies. But Warner and Klobuchar started working on the legislation as Facebook acknowledged that the hundreds of phony Facebook accounts, likely run from Russia, spent about $100,000 on ads aimed at stirring up divisive issues such as gun control and race relations during the 2016 campaign.

Facing pressure from lawmakers and the public after that original announcement, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said last week that the company will provide congressional investigators with the contents of 3,000 ads bought by a Russian agency, while also pledging to make political advertising on its platform more transparent.

Associated Press writers Chad Day and Tom LoBianco contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>WASHINGTON — The Latest on congressional investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election (all times local):

The Justice Department has agreed to allow the Senate Judiciary Committee to interview two FBI officials close to fired director James Comey — under certain conditions.

The department sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley on Sept. 22 after Grassley said he was preparing subpoenas for the two to appear. But the department said Jim Rybicki and Carl Ghattas could only speak to the committee if they avoided questions “directly relating to, or interfering with” the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller.

Both Mueller and the Judiciary Committee are probing President Donald Trump’s firing of Comey in May and Russian interference in the 2016 election.

In a letter Wednesday, Grassley asked the department for clarification, saying he would still subpoena the witnesses if they wouldn’t talk about certain topics.

Twitter officials are scheduled to brief staff on the House intelligence committee, in addition to briefing Senate intelligence committee staff, on Russian efforts to meddle in the elections.

That’s according to Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House committee, who spoke to The Associated Press.

Both briefings are to take place Thursday.

Schiff said Twitter, Facebook and Google are also expected to appear before the House intelligence committee in a public hearing next month, although a date has not yet been set.

Facebook revealed earlier this month that Russians spent $100,000 in advertising on its platform. Schiff said Russia combined that with other efforts to spread fake news on Twitter and Google in a way that may have had a “decisive” impact on the election.

One of the congressional committees investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election has invited the tech giants Facebook, Twitter and the parent company of Google to appear for a public hearing on Nov. 1.

That’s according to a person familiar with the Senate intelligence committee’s interactions with the companies. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private discussions between the committee and the companies.

Top members of the Senate panel have been scrutinizing the ways that the social media platforms and online ads were used by Russians to influence the election. Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, had called for a public hearing with the tech companies earlier this month. Twitter is scheduled to meet behind closed doors with the committee’s staff on Thursday.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — Social media giant Twitter will visit Capitol Hill Thursday as part of the House and Senate investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

Twitter’s closed-door meetings with staff follow similar briefings from Facebook earlier this month, and the House and Senate panels have invited both tech giants, along with Google, to appear at public hearings this fall. The committees are scrutinizing the spread of false news stories and propaganda on social media, to what extent Russia was involved and whether anyone in the United States helped target those stories.

Unlike Facebook, which has said phony accounts on its platform attempted to stir up divisiveness in the election, Twitter has remained mostly silent. The two social media companies have different types of platforms, as Twitter allows users to register anonymously and has more public accounts than Facebook. Many lawmakers have expressed concerns about the proliferation of anonymous “bots” on Twitter and their potential to spread misinformation.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, said Wednesday that he hopes Twitter will be forthcoming.

“They have obviously a different business model, and also they’ve never tried to prevent fake accounts, use of bots,” Warner said, comparing the company to Facebook. “They don’t deny they have allowed more anonymity. So they’ve got a different business model, we’ve got different questions for them.”

Still, Warner said, the investigation is ultimately up to how people manipulated both of those platforms.

Twitter last week confirmed that officials would be meeting with the Senate panel and issued a statement pledging to improve defenses on its platform.

“Twitter deeply respects the integrity of the election process, a cornerstone of all democracies, and will continue to strengthen our platform against bots and other forms of manipulation that violate our Terms of Service,” the company said in a statement.

Staff on both panels are likely to ask Twitter about the bots, and also about some of the potential vulnerabilities in terms of tracing potential foreign intrusions. There have been concerns among some lawmakers that the company doesn’t move quickly enough to remove posts and isn’t able to track the original postings that were spread and retweeted.

Twitter, Facebook and Google haven’t yet said whether they will accept the invitations to testify publicly before both intelligence committees. The House intelligence committee is planning to hold a hearing in October and the Senate intelligence committee has invited witnesses to appear on Nov. 1.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, confirmed the House invitation in an interview with the AP, though he noted a date had not yet been set. The details of the invitation from the Senate intelligence committee were confirmed by two people familiar with the panel’s interactions with the companies. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private invitations.

The companies have some incentive to comply, as Warner and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar have said they are preparing legislation that would enhance transparency for online political ads and require social media companies to keep a public file of election ads and communications. The bill would also ask companies to “make reasonable efforts” to ensure that election ads are not purchased directly or indirectly by a foreign national.

Warner said it’s his “hope and expectation” that the companies would work with him on the legislation, which he called “probably the lightest touch possible.”

Congress so far has been reluctant to regulate social media companies. But Warner and Klobuchar started working on the legislation as Facebook acknowledged that the hundreds of phony Facebook accounts, likely run from Russia, spent about $100,000 on ads aimed at stirring up divisive issues such as gun control and race relations during the 2016 campaign.

Facing pressure from lawmakers and the public after that original announcement, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said last week that the company will provide congressional investigators with the contents of 3,000 ads bought by a Russian agency, while also pledging to make political advertising on its platform more transparent.

Also Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee — another panel investigating the Russian interference — is waiting to hear back from the Justice Department about whether it will allow the testimony of two FBI witnesses close to fired director James Comey.

The department said in a Sept. 22 letter that Jim Rybicki and Carl Ghattas could speak to the committee if they avoided questions “directly relating to, or interfering with” the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller. That was after Grassley said he was preparing subpoenas for the two to appear. Mueller is also probing Russian interference and Comey’s firing.

In a letter Wednesday, Grassley asked the department for clarification, saying he could still subpoena the witnesses if they wouldn’t talk about certain topics, including “DOJ’s and FBI’s activities” related to President Donald Trump and the investigation into Russian interference.

Grassley said he also wanted to ask the witnesses about Comey’s removal, improper political influence at the department and the department’s investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Associated Press writers Chad Day and Tom LoBianco contributed to this report.
Facebook, Google, and Twitter executives have been asked to testify before the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee in October and the Senate Intelligence Committee on November 1, according to committee sources.