The office of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is distancing the lawmaker from a growing scandal regarding a data mining firm, saying the company assured Cruz's 2016 presidential campaign it was doing everything by the book.
It was reported over the weekend that Cambridge Analytica obtained information about more than 50 million Facebook users from a Cambridge University researcher during the 2016 presidential campaign. Cruz's campaign employed the firm to bolster its digital marketing efforts.
After it was claimed in December 2015 via news reports that Cambridge Analytica had in its possession Facebook data that it illegally obtained, the Cruz campaign used the firm for an additional six months.
"They assured us the claims made in the press were false," Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier told The Dallas Morning News.
Frazier noted that the contract the Cruz campaign had with the company included promises "that all data used by them were obtained legally, that they would conduct their operations 'in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations,' and that they 'hold all necessary permits, licenses and consents to conduct its operations.' The campaign relied upon those representations."
Cambridge Analytica began working with the Trump campaign at some point in 2016. A former employee said Monday morning that officials from Cambridge Analytica met with Trump campaign officials Steve Bannon and Corey Lewandowski, along with representatives from Russian oil companies before the 2016 election.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., responded by asking Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to subpoena officials tied to Cambridge Analytica to face questions from lawmakers.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.