On August 19, 2019, CfA, which runs the Google Transparency Project, published a new analysis, "The Curious Transformation of Mike Lee," which documents how Google used its power and influence to turn U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) into a reliable Google ally after years of antagonizing the company.
"The nonprofit advocacy group Campaign for Accountability in July filed a complaint against Nunes alleging he failed to disclose business interests."
On April 30, 2019, CfA released a statement praising House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff’s decision to refer Erik Prince to the U.S. Department of Justice for lying to Congress. CfA previously called on Congress to refer Prince for criminal investigation on March 8, 2018.
On March 20, 2019, CfA asked the House Judiciary Committee to refer Scott Lloyd, previously the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Department of Health and Human Services, to the Department of Justice for investigation into whether he deliberately lied to Congress. Because his tenure was so controversial, Lloyd stepped down from that position to serve Senior Advisor to the HHS Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives.
On October 25, 2018, CfA asked Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Suzanne Israel Tufts, the Assistant Secretary for Administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to replace Department of Interior Acting Inspector General Mary Kendall amid ongoing investigations into Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s unethical behavior.
"Foreign propaganda from Russia and Iran spreading on Google's platform is also a concern for lawmakers. In July, Google rolled out stricter policies for political ads. Yet watchdog group Campaign for Accountability found it could still buy ads with a Google AdWords account it set up using the name and details of a notorious Russian propaganda group -- ads it paid for with rubles."
"'There's an empty chair next to you from Google, they're not here today. Maybe it's because they're arrogant,' said Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) blasting the search engine. Rubio then referenced a recent report showing how the group Campaign for Accountability was able to pose as the Russian troll farm Internet Research Agency and set up political advertising on Google’s ad network."
On Wednesday, September 5, 2018, the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee held a hearing on foreign influence campaigns' use of social media platforms. Several senators criticized Google for not attending the hearing, while Facebook and Twitter sent top executives. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) cited CfA's research in their criticisms of Google, specifically CfA's successful effort to pose as a Russian troll farm to buy Google ads.
On August 14, 2018, CfA released a new report, “Partisan Programming,” detailing how political campaigns utilize embedded staffers from Facebook and Google to help run their campaigns – an arrangement that provides companies with unique access to top politicians. CfA also called on the leaders of the House and Senate Rules Committees to investigate the arrangement and determine whether new laws or regulations are needed to prevent tech companies from abusing their relationships with politicians.
On July 19, 2018, CfA filed a FOIA request with the FBI seeking records from the Bureau's investigation into a loan made by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo’s campaign committee.