Facebook policy boss: Kavanaugh appearance ill-handled, but not a mistake
Facebook policy chief Joel Kaplan told a company town hall meeting on Friday that he regretted not consulting his bosses Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg before attending Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing, as the social network scrambles to quell employee anger over the appearance.
Kaplan, a Republican, declined to describe his attendance at the hearing last week as a mistake, saying he did it out of friendship and loyalty toward Kavanaugh, with whom he served in the George W. Bush White House, according to three sources at the company. Kaplan appeared in full camera view behind Kavanaugh Sept. 27 as he forcefully denied the sexual assault and misconduct allegations against him.
Kaplan appeared via video conference at the meeting at Facebook’s Menlo Park headquarters. One source said that the session had previously been scheduled as a regular corporate Q&A but was re-purposed mid-week to focus on issues of sexual assault and harassment.
The all-staff meeting, which lasted about an hour and 15 minutes, began with Zuckerberg, the CEO, and Sandberg, the chief operating officer, discussing their desire for Facebook to be a place where employees feel comfortable expressing their opinions — including political ones — and condemning sexual assault. Both executives expressed frustration with Kaplan inserting himself into a hotly political moment, especially given his high-profile role as the company’s vice president of global public policy.
Kaplan’s prominent appearance at the contentious Senate session drew sharp criticism from within the company, given the seriousness of the allegations made by Christine Blasey Ford and other accusers. Ford, a California professor, testified that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her while they were both in high school.
The internal controversy comes as Facebook deals with a growing list of problems in Washington, from conservative accusations of bias to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal to the recent breach that compromised the data of 50 million people.
Since last week’s hearing, employees have been debating Kaplan’s Senate appearance on the company’s internal message boards — putting intense focus on Zuckerberg and Sandberg’s response.
During the town hall, Facebook staffers expressed frustration with the way the company’s leadership handled the events of the past week, said one of the sources.
Kaplan apologized for not realizing how upsetting the move would be to some people, said the source. The meeting included some employees sharing stories of their experiences with sexual assault.
Kaplan served as the deputy chief of staff for policy under President George W. Bush, joining the company in 2011. Facebook has recruited veterans of both parties for its Washington operation.
Despite the furor, Kaplan appears to be in no danger of losing his job, all three Facebook sources said.