Many people, including U.S. lawmakers, are saying the recent revelations by Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk and journalist Matt Taibbi regarding the platform's censorship practices have confirmed what they already knew: that Washington Democrats have been colluding with social media to ban accounts and suppress unfavorable news stories, such as the New York Post's story on Hunter Biden's laptop in 2020.
In a series of 40 tweets, dubbed the "Twitter Files," Taibbi laid out how politicians, celebrities and other people of influence have petitioned Twitter leadership to censor specific posts on the platform. Taibi said the requests came from both sides of the political aisle, but Democrats have been taking advantage of their insider power far more often due to the left-leaning tendencies of the former Twitter staff.
"By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets were routine. One executive would write to another: 'More to review from the Biden team.' The reply would come back: 'Handled,'" Taibbi said in a tweet.
Perhaps the most egregious example was that Twitter not only censored any mention of Hunter Biden's laptop mere months before the 2020 presidential election but also suspended the New York Post's account for first publishing the story on "the laptop from hell."
Twitter alleged the story violated its policy against publishing "hacked" materials – a justification that now looks more like a politically calculated excuse.
"'They just freelanced it,' is how one former employee characterized the decision," Taibbi continued. "Hacking was the excuse, but within a few hours, pretty much everyone realized that wasn't going to hold. But no one had the guts to reverse it."
In the volatile aftermath of suppressing the story, Taibbi pointed to internal communications showing how Democratic lawmakers still wanted more moderation from Twitter, with some saying "the First Amendment isn't absolute."
Musk and Taibbi have promised to publish more bombshell news regarding Twitter's censorship, but the initial revelations have already produced an outcry from Republican lawmakers to open a formal investigation and reform laws related to social media moderation practices.
"Over the weekend, we learned Big Tech colluded to hide the Hunter Biden laptop story. In just 29 days [the House GOP] will begin the work to hold them accountable and get answers for the American people," U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) tweeted.
"It is crystal clear now that concerns of collusion between Biden and Big Tech were justified, but it's telling that the mainstream media continues ignoring or actively working to bury this historic and monumental story," U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) told 1819 News. "In January, when Republicans take over the House, we'll get to work immediately providing the American people the oversight and answers they deserve."
U.S. Sen.-elect Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) echoed Moore's dedication to addressing the problem next congressional session: "The Twitter files confirm what we already knew to be true: that Big Tech has systemically colluded with their allies in the Democratic Party to help them control the public square, gain power, and win elections… I look forward to congressional hearings getting to the bottom of what occurred at Twitter in 2020, as well as probing the practices of other social media outlets and ensuring transparency and accountability.
"My message to my friends across the aisle is this: censoring conservatives is anything but progressive. Diversity of thought and opinion are pillars of America, and the free flow of speech, ideas, and information is crucial to our democratic process. We should be encouraging debate and the exchange of opposing viewpoints, not stifling it. There is no doubt that what Twitter did in 2020 has undermined many Americans' faith in our elections and our institutions. Our country's leaders, on a nonpartisan basis, have a responsibility to strengthen our processes and our laws to restore that faith and ensure this never happens again. To that end, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to achieve much-needed reforms to Section 230."
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com.
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