Following the sixth explosive installment of the “Twitter Files,” Republican lawmakers are vowing to take action against members of the FBI who allegedly coordinated with Twitter executives to censor and spy on users.
(Video Credit: Fox News)
Substack writer and journalist Matt Taibbi released the files on Friday evening during a lengthy thread that delved into the FBI’s interactions with Twitter.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is demanding answers from the FBI over the censorship. He tweeted, “[The] FBI has a lot to answer for after the latest drop of Twitter Files 6.”
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) also wants a word with the intelligence agency on its involvement with the federal government and its perceived monitoring of users and their comments on the social media platform. He slammed the FBI over it.
“Anyone that cares about free speech should be outraged,” Comer railed. “Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, this has to stop.”
.@FBI has a lot to answer for after the latest drop of #TwitterFiles6 @Jim_Jordan @RepMikeJohnson @RepAndyBiggsAZ @RepDanBishop and I will be asking the questions.
Clear your calendar.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 16, 2022
.@RepJamesComer: The entire FBI needs to be dismantled, and we need to start all over again. pic.twitter.com/r5pf5KLXup
— The Dirty Truth (Josh) (@AKA_RealDirty) December 17, 2022
Many agree with that assessment and conservatives are more and more incensed as the “Twitter Files” is exposing the reported censorship on the platform and the collusion between intelligence agencies, the government, and Big Tech to manipulate news, communication, and political narratives.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who manages the GOP House Judiciary Committee account, asked, “Does anyone still trust the FBI?”
Does anyone still trust the FBI?
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) December 16, 2022
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) raised the pertinent point that given the FBI’s alleged involvement with Twitter, it would be logical to assume they are working with Facebook and Google as well.
He tweeted, “And if FBI used Twitter to censor, you bet they also used Google and Facebook.”
And if FBI used Twitter to censor, you bet they also used Google and Facebook
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 16, 2022
Once again, former Twitter Trust and Safety Chief Yoel Roth is at the center of the unconstitutional and unethical behavior that seems to have been prevalent at Twitter before Elon Musk took the helm.
Taibbi started his thread on the “Twitter Files 6” dump with emails between Roth and members of the FBI.
“The #TwitterFiles are revealing more every day about how the government collects, analyzes, and flags your social media content. Twitter’s contact with the FBI was constant and pervasive, as if it were a subsidiary,” Taibbi wrote. “Between January 2020 and November 2022, there were over 150 emails between the FBI and former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth… a surprisingly high number are requests by the FBI for Twitter to take action on election misinformation, even involving joke tweets from low-follower accounts.”
3. Twitter’s contact with the FBI was constant and pervasive, as if it were a subsidiary.
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022
4. Between January 2020 and November 2022, there were over 150 emails between the FBI and former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth.
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022
6. But a surprisingly high number are requests by the FBI for Twitter to take action on election misinformation, even involving joke tweets from low-follower accounts.
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022
The FBI evidently formed a social media task force that was put in place following the 2016 presidential election. Unbelievably, the agency assigned as many as “80 agents” to comb through social media activity looking for potential election interference.
Taibbi shared an email dated November 5, 2022, from the FBI’s National Election Command Post to the agency’s field office in San Francisco that showed a long list of Twitter accounts that “may warrant additional action” as the accounts were “being utilized to spread misinformation about the upcoming election.”
According to another email, on November 6, FBI Agent Elvis Chan forwarded the list to “Twitter folks.”
Taibbi also pointed to a Nov. 10 email that was sent to “Twitter contacts” from an FBI official listing numerous Twitter accounts that “may potentially constitute violations of Twitter’s Terms of Service.”
19.Agent Chan passed the list on to his "Twitter folks": pic.twitter.com/eXaZnC3I7y
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022
“HELLO TWITTER CONTACTS”: The master-canine quality of the FBI’s relationship to Twitter comes through in this November 2022 email, in which “FBI San Francisco is notifying you” it wants action on four accounts: pic.twitter.com/LjgB6fxENo
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022
The FBI immediately went into damage control mode and contacted Fox News after the latest drop of the “Twitter Files.” A spokesperson claimed that their communications with Twitter were part of an effort to ensure national security and the FBI only offered the information to Twitter, allowing the company to make its own decisions.
“The FBI regularly engages with private sector entities to provide information specific to identified foreign malign influence actors’ subversive, undeclared, covert, or criminal activities,” the spokesperson noted in the statement. “Private sector entities independently make decisions about what, if any, action they take on their platforms and for their customers after the FBI has notified them.”
As Republicans take control of the House in January, it is a good bet the FBI and other intelligence agencies as well as Big Tech are going to find themselves in the hot seat after being caught censoring Americans ostensibly for political reasons. A whole slew of investigations is just waiting to be launched over this and a reckoning is coming.
There was lots of reaction on Twitter and more revelations:
MY STATEMENT: On Twitter reactivating my account and being mentioned by name in the Twitter files. pic.twitter.com/YtHMPnoltF
— Mike Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) December 16, 2022
The FBI has a lot of explaining to do about the Twitter files.
These revelations should make every American who believes in the First Amendment gag. pic.twitter.com/YqDbnlgGn2
— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) December 15, 2022
Understated bombshell in @mtaibbi Twitter Files today: FBI used fake Russia collusion hoax as justification to police speech on Twitter in the name of foreign interference. Even tho Russia collusion was an FBI/Hillary concocted load of crap. @elonmusk
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) December 16, 2022
BREAKING: New Twitter Files show FBI demanding Twitter take action to silence @RSBNetwork pic.twitter.com/5LuWgz0R5X
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 16, 2022
The latest @ElonMusk @Twitter files provide evidence of potentially indictable offenses by government officials in the FBI and DHS…..
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) December 16, 2022
FBI response to latest Twitter Files is a lie: "The FBI regularly engages with private sector entities to provide information specific to identified foreign malign influence actors'"
The FBI was colluding with Big Tech on DOMESTIC censorship. This rogue agency must be shut down.
— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) December 17, 2022
We’ll leave no stone unturned. https://t.co/2IYU1CG5Z0
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) December 16, 2022
This is illegal and unconstitutional. Republicans must hold hearings and hold those responsible for FBI/Big Tech collusion accountable to make sure something like this never happens again. #TwitterFiles https://t.co/hIqJdFXl0v
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) December 16, 2022
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