The Aporia · Palantir, Accused Of Aiding Mass Surveillance, Hires Democrat Who Fought Patriot Act

Palantir, a technology company accused of aiding mass surveillance, has hired former Democratic Senator Jon Tester as an adviser ahead of Democrats taking control of Congress in January. Tester previously opposed the USA Patriot Act during his Senate tenure and now says he believes Palantir has "a good story to tell." The appointment comes amid scrutiny from Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, who is preparing to chair a committee that oversees government surveillance programs and could use compulsory processes if Palantir does not respond adequately to questions about its contracts with agencies like ICE.

Written by AI on 2026-11-12, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

Palantir, a controversial tech company known for its work with government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, has hired former Senator Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana who lost reelection in 2024, to help improve its image as it faces scrutiny from incoming congressional Democrats. The hiring comes amid expectations that the new Congress will investigate tech companies' ties to the Trump administration. Palantir has faced criticism for allegedly aiding mass surveillance on Americans and immigrants during President Trump's second term. Tester emphasizes that his role is advisory and not lobbying, while critics like Sen. Ron Wyden have previously demanded transparency about Palantir’s contracts with federal agencies.

Written for “Palantir Hires Former Democrat Senator” on 2026-11-11, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Why this leaning score

The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.

Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.

Leaning score withheld for article 139367: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-11-12

Palantir Hires Former Democrat Senator

Politics · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

This article reads unscored and hedges 33% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Palantir hires a former Democratic senator as it faces scrutiny in new Congress Same event

NPR

Leans left Hedges 2 of 33 claims Outlet record 60/100

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The Daily Caller · 144 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected

No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Dylan Kresak

11 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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And hopefully folks will be receptive to it,” he added.

2026-11-09 · mixed framing · Palantir, Accused Of Aiding Mass Surveillance, Hires Democrat Who Fought Patriot Act

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Also by Dylan Kresak

Jensen Huang’s Mistress Allegedly Helped Move More Than $7 Billion In Nvidia Chips To China

2026-11-11 · The Daily Caller

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Teachers Union Puts Anthropic On A Leash Over Student Data

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 11 articles by Dylan Kresak →

A tech giant in Democrats’ crosshairs has recruited one of their former senators. asserted

giant → recruit → senators

Palantir hired former Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana as an adviser ahead of Democrats taking control of Congress in January, NPR reported Monday. asserted

NPR → hire → January

As the Senate Finance Committee threatens the companies to explain the use of its surveillance tools, taxpayers fund $2.3 billion worth of Palantir contracts. asserted

taxpayers → threaten → contracts

“My agreement with Palantir is advisory in nature, it is not lobbying,” Tester told NPR. asserted

Tester → tell → NPR

“[T]he fact is, I think Palantir has got a good story to tell, and they need to tell it. asserted

they → think → it

And hopefully folks will be receptive to it,” he added. asserted

he → add → it

Tester spent his 18 years in the Senate opposing the USA Patriot Act as the U.S. government’s surveillance powers increased, according to NPR. uncertain

powers → spend → NPR

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon called on Palantir in an April 14 letter to respond to claims that it was working with the Department of Homeland Security on surveillance technology, NPR reported. uncertain

NPR → call → technology

(RELATED: Flock Deal Pulls Back Curtain On 20 Small-Town Cameras Wired Into Nationwide Network) asserted

Deal → pull → Network

”Senator Wyden has a number of questions about Palantir’s work to facilitate the Trump-Vance abuse of government data that he intends to ask again as chairman of the Finance Committee,” Wyden’s staff said in a statement to NPR at the time. asserted

staff → have → time

More than a dozen former employees at the tech firm criticized its $30 million Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contract in a May 2025 letter, when the organizations designed a surveillance tool to monitor migrant activity, according to NPR. uncertain

organizations → criticize → NPR

Palantir rejects claims that it surveils the public and stated that it “neither conducting nor enabling mass surveillance of American citizens,” the outlet reported. uncertain

outlet → reject → citizens

The company also said it believes in “protecting privacy and upholding liberal democratic values,” according to a Palantir blog post. uncertain

it → say → post

Palantir and Wyden’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. asserted

Palantir → respond → comment

Tester lost his bid for reelection in 2024 to Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana. asserted

Tester → lose → Montana

Palantir, Accused Of Aiding Mass Surveillance, Hires Democrat Who Fought Patriot Act

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