Give Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) credit. When he declared that he was going after Big Tech censorship of conservatives and their viewpoints, he meant business.
The House Judiciary Committee chairman penned a letter to the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) over its alleged role in government censorship. Addressing CEO Imran Ahmed, Jordan requested that several documents be handed over to the committee.
Jordan’s Thursday letter to the controversial nonprofit charged that organizations such as the CCDH “have played a role in this censorship regime by advising the government and social media companies on so-called “misinformation.”
#NEWS: @Jim_Jordan Expands Censorship Investigation to Center for Countering Digital Hate.
The Biden White House relied on CCDH in its unconstitutional pressure campaign against social media platforms to censor Americans. pic.twitter.com/L3ov1DWfdd
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) August 3, 2023
He further alleged that the group and others enjoyed direct or indirect support from Washington’s censors.
Jordan called these actions a “grave threat” to civil liberties and the First Amendment freedoms enjoyed by all Americans. The Center hails itself as a watchdog, but critics declare it is weaponized against speech disfavored by the Biden administration.
As Jordan clarified, the committee seeks details of the CCDH’s relationship with federal officials and social media companies.
This would lay bare the interactions and results of possible censorious acts by the federal government. Many congressional Republicans believe the Center was utilized by the Biden White House to justify pressure on social media platforms.
These Big Tech companies largely complied with administration demands that opposing viewpoints be taken down.
Jordan’s letter to the CCDH alleged the Biden White House leaned heavily on a report from the organization called “The Disinformation Dozen.” This was wielded as a club to coerce social media platforms to take down content that was not in the administration’s favor.
Along with demanding materials documenting interactions between the CCDH and the federal government, Jordan asked for information on the receipt of any federal funds by the group.
This continued a trend by the Judiciary Committee under Jordan’s leadership to pursue social media companies for censorship.
Last week the committee subpoenaed documents from Facebook over efforts to suppress COVID information that went against the government narrative.
Jordan’s letter closely followed a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The filing alleged that the CCDH unlawfully accessed data to engage in a defamatory campaign against the company.
