‘Political Stunt'? Texas Democrats Call on Ken Paxton to Investigate Cambridge Analytica

WASHINGTON — Several Texas Democratic congressmen are calling on state Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate a voter targeting firm said to have misused data from 50 million Facebook users, a request a Paxton aide is calling a “political stunt.”The firm, Cambridge Analytica, provided voter targeting services for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential bid before contracting with President Donald Trump’s campaign. The firm, which is controlled by GOP billionaire financier Robert Mercer and his daughter, Rebekah, has come under fire in recent weeks amid reports it used data from Facebook users for political purposes without their consent, something Facebook said was a violation of its terms of service.In a letter to Paxton earlier this week, San Antonio Rep. Joaquin Castro and five other Texas Democratic congressmen urged Paxton to investigate Cambridge for potential violations of data privacy and election laws. In the letter, the lawmakers noted that attorneys general in blue states including Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York have opened investigations.  Continue reading...