Report: Google reps visited the White House an average of once a week since Obama took office

In an effort to have "a strong voice in the debate," employees of Google Inc. visited the White House for meetings with senior officials "about 230 times, or an average of roughly once a week," the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had been conducting an antitrust investigation on the tech giant during the height of the White House visits, with one of the company's top lobbyists meeting there more than 60 times. Comcast, the Journal reports, had only 20 employee visits in comparison.

The FTC ultimately voted unanimously to end the antitrust probe against Google, prompting speculation and suspicion over the company's influence in the government.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Niki Christoff, a Google spokesman, said the meetings "help policy makers understand our business and the work we do to keep the internet open, to build great products, and to fuel economic growth."

Jennifer Friedman, a White House spokeswoman, said that the meetings "help keep the White House apprised of outside perspectives on important policy issues," but said that the administration is "cognizant that it is inappropriate to discuss issues relating to regulatory enforcement."