Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) recently sent a letter to former Biden Director of Digital Strategy Robert Flaherty, demanding an interview regarding the Biden administration’s collusion with “Big Tech.”
“The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of how and the extent to which the Executive Branch has coerced and colluded with tech companies and other intermediaries to censor speech,” the letter reads.
Whether directly or indirectly, a government-approved or -facilitated censorship regime poses a grave threat to the First Amendment and Americans’ civil liberties,” it adds.
In January 2021, Flaherty entered the White House, and his tenure was met with significant efforts by social media companies to censor certain viewpoints, especially on topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccinations.
At the time, the Biden administration allegedly worked with Big Tech to prevent open discussion, often called “misinformation,” on various issues, including rising energy costs.
“Documents made public earlier this year demonstrate that in the course of your employment at the White House, you facilitated direct communications between [the Executive Office of the President] and large social media companies regarding the moderation of content related to topics such as COVID-19 and vaccines,” Jordan’s letter reads.
“These direct and frequent communications with these companies included instructions and demands to remove certain content, which, in numerous instances, appear to have been followed by the social media companies,” it continues.
#NEWS: @Jim_Jordan Demands Interview from former Biden Digital Director on White House's Social Media Censorship Scheme with Big Tech pic.twitter.com/WuuqVix0df
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) June 23, 2023
Jordan, who serves as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has written letters concerning several allegations that the Biden administration colluded with private entities. He recently sent a letter to multiple large banks in the U.S. demanding documents on potential privacy violations caused by unprompted data sharing with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Jordan’s letter demands Flaherty contact the House Judiciary Committee by July 6, 2023, to schedule his interview.
“Due to your personal and direct involvement in the executive branch’s efforts to censor or remove certain viewpoints on social media, we believe that you are uniquely situated to advance our oversight and inform potential legislative reforms,” the letter states.
“Accordingly, we ask that you make yourself available for a transcribed interview with the Committee. Please contact Committee staff as soon as possible but by no later than 5:00 p.m. on July 6, 2023, to schedule your transcribed interview,” the letter concludes.
