How a Trump-loving billionaire is pushing to keep Facebook a treasure trove of controversial political ads

Many Facebook insiders are reportedly pushing CEO Mark Zuckerberg to clamp down on political ads, especially those that contain provably false claims.

However, the Wall Street Journal reports that Trump-loving billionaire Peter Thiel has been pushing for Facebook to stay away from fact checking political ads before publishing them.

"Some of Mr. Thiel’s views are shared by others within Facebook, including on political ads, with many current and former executives advising Mr. Zuckerberg that the company shouldn’t be in the position of deciding what claims are accurate," the Journal reports. "But others, including many rank-and-file employees, argue that Facebook’s decision cuts against its yearslong fight to combat misinformation."

For the moment, however, Thiel appears to be winning the struggle, as several longtime Facebook board members have left the company in just the last year, thus creating a power vacuum.

“Mark is friends with Peter Thiel and a lot of Republicans,” one former Facebook employee told the Wall Street Journal. “It’s a reality people aren’t willing to accept.”