• Donald Trump attacked Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, calling him a “criminal”.
• Trump has suggested baselessly that Zuckerberg’s $ 400 million donation to election causes was suspect.
• There is no evidence that Zuckerberg’s gift was misused.

Former US President Donald Trump attacked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an angry statement, claiming a $ 400 million donation he made to local election offices last year made him a criminal”.

“Mark Zuckerberg, in my opinion, a criminal, is allowed to spend over $ 400 million and can therefore change the course of a presidential election, and nothing happens to Facebook,” Trump said in a statement sent by email to his supporters.

Trump appeared to be referring to the $ 400 million Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan donated to local election offices last year.

The money was to help them adjust to changes in voting habits resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

It was spent on items, including personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, and equipment to process postal ballots, the Associated Press reported.

There is no evidence that Zuckerberg’s donations were criminal or even partisan, but Trump’s comments echoed wider Republican fury over the move.

In October last year, a Republican legal group attempted to prevent the money from being used in nine swing states, calling it “an insidious, coordinated and stealthy campaign to manipulate this year’s election.”

Zuckerberg denied that the funds would be used in a partisan fashion.

He said in a statement in October last year: “Since our initial donation, several lawsuits have been filed in an attempt to prevent the use of these funds, based on claims that organizations receiving donations have a partisan agenda.

“This is false. These funds will serve communities across the country – urban, rural and suburban – and are allocated by non-partisan organizations.”

Trump, who has continued to make unsubstantiated allegations of widespread electoral fraud since leaving office in January, also made similar statements about Zuckerberg in an angry letter to the Washington Post published on Wednesday.

He cited part of Zuckerberg’s donation that had been allocated to voting systems in Pennsylvania as evidence of the Facebook founder ‘s attempt to “interfere” with the state’s election results.

Pennsylvania voted for Joe Biden and, like other parts of the United States, attempts by Trump allies to challenge the results were unsuccessful.