Facebook oversight board member rips social media giant as ‘inconsistent’ after Trump ban

Former federal judge on board says Facebook’s rules are both “arbitrary” and in “shambles.”

A former federal judge who serves on Facebook’s oversight board on Sunday slammed the social media giant for “arbitrary” and “inconsistent” enforcement of its rules in the aftermath of a permanent ban on Donald Trump’s account.

“We gave them a certain amount of time to get their house in order," Michael McConnell told Fox News Sunday. "They needed some time because their rules are a shambles. They are not transparent. They are unclear. They are internally inconsistent.”

McConnell said the board made a series of recommendations “about how to make their rules clearer and more consistent."

The Oversight Board upheld Facebook's current ban on Trump for his posts on the Jan. 6 riots but concluded The social giant did not have the power to ban him permanently under its current rules.

“What we are trying to do is bring some of the most important principles of the First Amendment, of free expression law globally, into this operation. Facebook exercises too much power,” McConnell told the show. “They are arbitrary. They are inconsistent. And it is the job of the Oversight Board to try to bring some discipline to that process.”