Google and Facebook are the subject of antitrust probes from a vast group of state attorneys general. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images technology Koch group launches ads defending Silicon Valley against state AG probes

A conservative advocacy group that serves as the Koch family's political arm is coming to Silicon Valley's defense to push back against antitrust probes Google and Facebook are now facing from a vast array of state attorneys general.

Americans for Prosperity will release advertisements on Facebook prodding users to contact their attorneys general and urge them not to turn the investigations into a "political spectacle." The ads are slated to run for two weeks but will likely continue, the organization said. They'll initially run in nine states whose AGs are involved in one or both probes.


"There are serious consequences to abusing this kind of enforcement that create troubling ripple effects for American workers and families. The AGs involved should not use this investigation as a means to score political points," Billy Easley, AFP's senior tech policy analyst, said in a statement.

In launching the campaign, the conservative group is fashioning itself as a visible defender of the tech industry, whose list of allies is shrinking amid censure and scrutiny from across the political spectrum. The Google probe has drawn in every Democratic and Republican state AG except those from California and Alabama. That bipartisan team-up reflects still broader political headwinds, as Washington policymakers voice concern over the industry's biggest players controlling too much of the market.

A link in the AFP ad directs internet users to a form letter. In one addressed to Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leading the Google probe, AFP states: "Too often, we see politicians using antitrust investigations to create a political spectacle while abusing its intended purpose."

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"Setting a standard of punishing companies for size or success would mean risking the jobs of countless Americans," the letter adds.

Paxton has already used his role at the helm of the investigation for political purposes. He solicited donations on Tuesday, for instance, in an email that touted his chutzpah for bringing the fight to "Silicon Valley titans," according to an email obtained by POLITICO.

"We will continue to fight for your rights and to protect you from monopolistic practices by liberal elites in DC ... or in Silicon Valley," the email states.

And the state-led antitrust investigations have been tinged with political drama from the start. The group of AGs from 48 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico took to the steps of the Supreme Court for their Monday announcement, telling a throng of reporters that they had banded together to investigate Google's popular search engine and lucrative digital advertising business.

Separately, a group of nine state attorneys general unveiled their own investigation of Facebook on Friday. New York Attorney General Tish James, who is leading the effort, pledged to use "every investigative tool at our disposal to determine whether Facebook’s actions may have endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers’ choices, or increased the price of advertising.”

AFP launched a similar campaign in March targeting members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asking them "not to politicize antitrust enforcement." Both the House and Senate are conducting their own queries into competition in online markets, focusing in particular on Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon.

And those aren't the only federal probes. The Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department have initiated investigations into Facebook and Google, respectively, sending each company a request for documents and other information related to their business practices.

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