Facebook’s Elliot Schrage Defends Opposition Research on George Soros

Facebook Inc. was within its rights to research George Soros after the billionaire critiqued the social network publicly, Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s outgoing policy chief, said.

Schrage, who has worked at Facebook since 2008, has been a central figure at the social-media giant during its year of turmoil over misinformation and privacy breaches that have sent its shares sliding. The latest scandal, over Facebook’s hiring of Definers, a Republican-linked opposition research firm, has placed pressure on Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. Last month, Schrage wrote a note to employees saying he was responsible for hiring the firm.