i spoke with representative david cicilline and asked him whether the sale would be a good idea. e: irep. think there is no question that facebook needs competition. that is why some of the discussion about americans buying tiktok and operating in the united states is exciting because it will bring competition to the space. exciting is is not to see a president in jacked himself into that transaction. if there is a proposal to require tiktok i in american company, it should be reviewed by our antitrust agencies. the determination should be made whether it's procompetitive. whether it enhances competition. we will look at other national security implications, which is always appropriate to consider an international transaction. but the president should not inject himself as a dealmaker between private entities. emily: when will your report be out? rep. cicilline: my hope is that we will complete the report and it will be ready for publication in the early part of september so that we have an opportunity to introduce legislation is recommended. emily: what discussions have you had w

subcommittee weigh in anti trust issues they got an earful from both sides of the aisle here is chairman david cicilline a democrat from here in rhode island. it's gatekeepers of the digital economy these platforms enjoy the power to pick winners and losers shake down small businesses and rich themselves while choking off competitors their ability to dictate terms call the shots up entire sectors and inspire fear represent the powers of a private government our founders would not go for king nor should we go for the emperor is the economy. the president and many conservative politicians and gross that social media skews left kristen fair charge or bum rap. so i think that is a fair charge and we've seen that numerous times under its shadow danny or people on the right. or unfairly target from their platform. i don't think it's really i don't think the question of the big picture here is are they censoring the right versus the left i think the larger question is are the century free speech in general and we're seeing that with doctors being temporarily removed from there are far more specifically on twit

. >> the congressman you just heard grilling barr was rhode island democrat david cicilline who joins me now. eric holder also surprised by barr's answer there. you can hear the surprise in your voice. let's listen to what em. >> that was kind of a lay-up. i didn't understand, i'll make sure that all ballots are legally cast will be counted. i don't understand why this was a hesitance. that is what gives people pause about what role bill barr will play when it comes to trying to have a fair election. >> that was eric holder responding to whether all votes will be counted on election day. are you concerned that this administration isn't taking election interference seriously right now? >> i'm deeply concerned. at first we know he second foreign stance in the 2016 election. we know he solicited stance from the ukrainians. we know he is publicly called for others to involve themselves in our elections. when you hear the attorney general of the united states pause in response tom question, it sends shivers down my spine. the attorney general should have said immediately, it is never appro

power and the platforms are exercising it >> narrator: in washington, democratic congressman david cicillineve conduct bymazon and the other tech giants. >> given your experience, do yoa agree wizon's statements suggesting that it seeks to act in the best interest ofll independent s? >> i disagree with that. we get, i don't know, what i might call bullying with a smile. >> we were able to get several public to come to hearing. that required tremendous courage because there'a real potential for economic retaliation for their sharing th. >> we don't have the resources to fight amazon. we couldse some help. >> in the course of your investigation thus far, and you've had several publi hearings, have you seen any evidence of anti-competitive behavior by amazon? anti-competitive behavior by all of the large platforms as a result otheir market dominance. but it sort of doesn't fall on the companies to fix this problem. it falls on us without objection, the hearing is adjourned. >> narrator: cicilline's committee is considering everything from imposing limits on what businesses a company like amazon