Will GoFundMe get away with canceling the fund of the Freedom Convoy for what were obviously partisan reasons, using its power and popularity as a funding platform to take the wind out of the sails of the massive rally after letting organizers grow dependent on it?
Not if Senator Cruz has his way. He, discussing the situation with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures,” criticized the company and said that he’s encouraging the FTC to look into the situation, telling Bartiromo:
“Today I sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking that the FTC open an investigation into GoFundMe into whether they’ve committed deceptive trade practices.
Because when people gave money, they gave money under the promise it would go to the Freedom Convoy, not to whatever left-wing political ideology GoFundMe and other Silicon Valley companies support. They are deceiving consumers and it is wrong.”
Cruz also described the truckers as heroes, telling Bartiromo:
“The Canadian truckers are heroes, they are patriots and they are marching for your freedom and for my freedom.
They’re defending Canada, but they’re defending America as well. That is, that is courage on display that the government doesn’t have the right to force you to comply to their arbitrary mandates. And they’re standing up for freedom, and of course, big government hates it and is trying to crush them.”
Watch him do so here:
God bless these Canadian truck drivers. They’re defending Canada, America, and they’re standing up for freedom!
The government doesn’t have the right to force you to comply to their arbitrary mandates. pic.twitter.com/bvoM3SSbnb
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 6, 2022
Cruz has also hit GoFundMe on Twitter, retweeting a meme shared by Elon Musk that claimed that GoFundMe is a company of “professional thieves.”
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 5, 2022
Additionally, he’s not the only GOP representative calling for GoFundMe to be held to account for kneecapping the Freedom Convoy. Rep. Jim Jordan tweeted out that he’s “got questions” for the fundraising platform, saying “GoFundMe promoted the ANTIFA-occupied CHOP zone in Seattle. But they shut down fundraisers for truckers protesting #COVID mandates. We’ve got questions.”
GoFundMe promoted the ANTIFA-occupied CHOP zone in Seattle.
But they shut down fundraisers for truckers protesting #COVID mandates.
We’ve got questions.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) February 5, 2022
It remains to be seen if any of this talk amounts to actual legislative or governmental action. While Cruz and Jordan talk a big game, it’s doubtful that any part of the bureaucracy under President Brandon will take time to go after a company that’s helping shut down a conservative, liberty-focused protest, just as it’s unlikely that Brandon would sign any bill taking action against such a company.
Further, much of the wind was taken out of the sails of those that, like DeSantis, were calling for an investigation of GoFundMe after it initially announced that the money donated to the Freedom Convoy wouldn’t be refunded, when it reversed course on that and made refunds automatic.
Though that’s certainly better for donors, it also limited the options of those looking to go after the company, as now they’ll have to hit it for some violation of its terms of service rather than for confiscating donor money and not refunding it, which could have been an easier case to make.
Still, there’s certainly energy that could be thrown behind any investigation or action, so perhaps the talk will lead to something concrete.