Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats declare open season on Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg

Jessica Guynn | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Critic: Facebook political ad controls not enough Despite escalating pressure ahead of the 2020 election, Facebook reaffirmed its freewheeling policy on political ads Thursday, saying it won’t ban them, won’t fact-check them and won’t limit how they can be targeted to specific groups of people. (Jan. 8)

Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi used to be Facebook's friends. Not anymore.

A day after Pelosi kicked off a new war of words, calling the social media giant's behavior “shameful” and “irresponsible," Biden ramped up the Democrats' open season on Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, during an interview with the New York Times on Friday.

"I've never been a fan of Facebook," the former vice president said. "I've never been a big Zuckerberg fan. I think he's a real problem."

A federal law that shields Facebook and other internet companies from being held liable for what’s posted on their platforms should be revoked, Biden also told the newspaper.

During her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Pelosi had sharp words in response to a question about Facebook's power.

“I think what they have said very blatantly, very clearly is that they intend to be accomplices for misleading the American people with money from God knows where,” Pelosi said.

Facebook disinformation in 2020: What you can do to stop its spread

Facebook declined to comment on Pelosi’s remarks. It could not be immediately reached about Biden’s criticism.

Not long ago, Facebook and its executive team including chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg were praised by the Democratic leadership.

But soon after the 2016 presidential election, tensions emerged. The problem? A wave of scandals, starting with rampant misinformation and Russian interference during the election that favored Donald Trump and undercut his Democratic challenger, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Then came Facebook’s assist to Trump’s presidential campaign, the leak of millions of Facebook users’ personal information to Cambridge Analytica and data breaches.

Growing scrutiny of Facebook’s dominance has come from both sides of the aisle. Zuckerberg, who has mounted a charm offensive on Capitol Hill and the White House, has been a magnet for criticism.

Last week, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said the Facebook co-founder has gained too much power.

Fueling the tensions: Facebook’s refusal in May to remove a doctored video of Pelosi that made it sound like she was slurring her words. Then, Facebook said it would not fact-check ads from politicians ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Many Democrats see that policy benefiting Trump’s reelection campaign.

Biden’s campaign demanded Facebook remove a false ad from the Trump campaign accusing him of corruption for his role in Ukraine policy during the Obama administration. Facebook refused.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, another Democratic presidential candidate, highlighted the problem by running an intentionally fake ad claiming Zuckerberg had endorsed Trump's reelection.

During an interview with "CBS This Morning" this month, Zuckerberg reiterated the company's belief that it should not censor politicians.

"What I believe is that in a democracy, it’s really important that people can see for themselves what politicians are saying, so they can make their open judgments," Zuckerberg said.

In an op-ed for USA TODAY, Facebook said scrutinizing the public speech of politicians is “a good thing.”

“But for that to happen, the public and the news media have to see it. In fact, if Facebook became the gatekeeper of truth, the first people to complain would be those who are complaining now – for good reason.”

Pelosi was not having it on Thursday, accusing Facebook of putting profits above all else.

“I think they have been very abusive of the great opportunity that technology has given them,” she said. “All they want is their tax cuts and no antitrust action against them. They schmooze this administration in that regard because so far that is what they’ve received.”