Top states say they haven’t been invited to the Justice Department's meeting about tech companies

Democratic attorneys general from key states said they have not yet been invited by the Justice Department to its upcoming review of tech companies, prompting criticism that the Trump administration's inquiry is a politically-charged attack on the tech industry. 

Democratic attorneys general from California and New York — two tech hubs — as well as officials from Connecticut and Washington, which are active on issues related to technology, consumer protection and antitrust, so far have not been invited. The Democratic Attorneys General Association said it "had not heard any Democratic attorneys general [are] invited." Only Ken Paxton, the Republican attorney general of Texas, has said he will participate at the event. The Justice Department has received inquiries from a number of Republican and Democratic attorneys general. The potentially partisan nature of DOJ's meeting raised deep suspicions among some tech experts, particularly against the backdrop of President Trump's recent comments attacking social media sites as biased against conservatives — and threatening regulations and investigations in response.

"This type of meeting, in a highly politically charged environment, will have no credibility if all the participants come from the same political party," said Gene Kimmelman, a former top official at the Justice Department who is now the president of Public Knowledge.