Facebook gave special counsel Robert Mueller, who is overseeing the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, records of Russian ad purchases on the website and copies of the ads, several outlets reported Sunday.
Reuters first reported that Facebook had given Mueller data on the ads last week, and the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Facebook turned over copies of the ads and details about how they were targeted and the accounts that purchased them.
CNN on Sunday confirmed, citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the matter, that Facebook gave Mueller copies of the ads and “related information.”
Both CNN and the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook did not give the same information to congressional committees also investigating Russian interference, and that Facebook’s policy states that it will only turn over the “stored contents” of an account in response to a search warrant.
In a statement to CNN, Facebook said it was giving Mueller information “including ads and related account information.”