The House Judiciary Committee is broadening its investigation into the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) amid allegations that the organization collaborated with advertisers to exclude conservative news outlets. Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) has issued requests to over 40 companies, including prominent names such as Pepsi, Adidas, and Shell, demanding documents and explanations regarding their involvement.
Jordan’s letter highlights evidence suggesting that GARM and its member companies have engaged in coordinated actions, including boycotts of conservative social media platforms, podcasts, and news outlets. This comes after Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro testified before the committee, presenting emails that revealed GARM executives expressing disdain for conservatives and using guidelines on “conspiracy theories” and “misinformation” as a pretext to deny advertising revenue to conservative sites like The Daily Wire.
The committee’s investigation aims to determine whether GARM and advertising firms misled their clients or if those clients actively participated in withholding advertisements from conservative websites. Jordan emphasized that such coordinated activities could violate antitrust laws.
“GARM has deviated far from its original mission of creating a ‘more sustainable and responsible digital environment,’ instead leveraging its market power to demonetize voices and viewpoints it disagrees with,” Jordan stated. He also questioned whether companies agreed with GARM executive Robert Rakowitz’s view that the U.S. Constitution was an obstacle for advertisers.
The letters inquire whether the companies participated in collective boycotts with GARM, supported the group’s actions against conservative media, or were aware of these coordinated efforts. Companies receiving these letters include Adidas, American Express, Bayer, BP, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, General Mills, Goldman Sachs, HP, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Nike, PepsiCo, and Verizon.
Emails disclosed to the committee reveal that Joe Barone, GroupM’s Managing Partner for Brand Safety Americas, classified The Daily Wire as “high risk” under “Conspiracy Theories,” despite acknowledging that it did not publish misinformation. GroupM CEO Christian Juhl struggled to justify these actions during his testimony and has since been replaced.
The committee’s expanded probe seeks to uncover the full extent of GARM’s influence and the potential implications for conservative media outlets, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability.
