Top Dem Operative Bill Burton Behind PR Campaign for Facebook Whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams

The former Facebook executive set to testify before Congress about her book, which alleges bad behavior at the social media giant, is getting public relations help from a top Democratic operative, an email reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon shows.

The consulting firm founded by former Obama administration deputy press secretary Bill Burton, Bryson Gillette, sent a March 5 press release promoting former Facebook director of global public policy Sarah Wynn-Williams's book, Careless People. The firm sent the release using an "SWW Press" title and email domain that appeared to be created specifically for Wynn-Williams. The release touted the book's "deeply insightful and darkly humorous firsthand account of seven critical years at Meta (formerly Facebook) as the company grew from viral sensation to global powerhouse and the destruction it left in its wake."

The extent of Wynn-Williams's relationship with Burton and Bryson Gillette, as well as when that relationship began, is unclear.

But it’s not the first time Burton and his firm have aided an ex-employee's public relations campaign against Facebook, including ahead of a high-profile congressional hearing.

Burton and his firm also represented Frances Haugen, the former Facebook employee who spent months anonymously leaking company documents to the press in 2021 ahead of a public reveal on 60 Minutes and subsequent congressional testimony, the Free Beacon reported at the time. Burton's work for Haugen came amid a broader Democratic push to target Facebook and other Big Tech platforms over "disinformation"—one that Burton has been in the center of.

While representing Haugen, Burton ran public affairs for the Center for Humane Technology, a nonprofit backed by liberal billionaires George Soros and Pierre Omidyar that pits itself against Facebook and other social media platforms. Omidyar, meanwhile, funded press and government relations efforts for Haugen in Europe and gave $150,000 to the nonprofit that provided Haugen with legal representation, Whistleblower Aid. Burton himself is an outspoken Facebook critic, having likened the company to tobacco giants that concealed the health risks associated with using their products.

Burton's relationship with Wynn-Williams suggests the latest Facebook whistleblower is part of a similar push. Wynn-Williams left Facebook in 2017 and worked for Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest's nonprofit, the Minderoo Foundation, from at least 2021 until 2023, according to the Australian Financial Review. Forrest, a mining magnate, has sued Meta over scam Facebook ads bearing his image, and his foundation is a partner organization of Reset Tech, a nonprofit that has taken aim at Meta and X over "misinformation." An Omidyar-established group, Luminate, is also a Reset Tech partner. Wynn-Williams's work for the Minderoo Foundation was aimed at addressing "power imbalances between global tech companies and the communities they serve."

Neither Bryson Gillette nor the Minderoo Foundation responded to requests for comment.

Burton is one of the Democratic Party's most well-known operatives. He worked as former president Barack Obama's deputy press secretary from 2009 to 2011 following a stint at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). 

After leaving the White House, Burton founded Priorities USA Action, a top Democratic super PAC that was the primary outside group supporting Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden's 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. He launched Bryson Gillette in 2020, and the firm has since emerged as a go-to vendor for the DCCC, which paid it more than $350,000 in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.

Wynn-Williams has been in the headlines since the release of her book last month. That book, Careless People, includes explosive allegations leveled at top executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, head of global affairs Joel Kaplan, and former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.

Some of Wynn-Williams's colleagues, however, have cast doubt on the claims, including one that accused Sandberg of inappropriately asking Wynn-Williams to "come to bed" while traveling on a private jet. A woman who worked closely with Wynn-Williams told the Daily Beast that Wynn-Williams was pregnant and "very tired" and that Sandberg was offering her a bed to "get sleep."

Though Burton has long hit Facebook from the left, Wynn-Williams's claims—and criticism of social media platforms in general—have attracted attention from both parties. Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) invited Wynn-Williams to testify before the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism on Wednesday.

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