Sen. Hawley Sends Scathing Message to Twitter and Facebook CEOs After 'Shocking' Admission of Collusion with Biden Admin
Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley sent letters to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Thursday to seek answers about collusion between their companies and the federal government.
The move came after White House press secretary Jen Psaki admitted during a news briefing on Thursday that the Biden administration was “flagging problematic posts for Facebook.”
Jen Psaki just said “We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation.” Should be terrifying to anyone who values free speech. Big tech companies are now default state actors. pic.twitter.com/xOosfhuF2y
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 15, 2021
“This casual admission of collusion—between the state and corporations that have monopolized the flow of information and therefore dictate the terms of service for the public square—is shocking,” Hawley said in a statement.
Hawley also tweeted a copy of his letter to Facebook on Thursday night, saying, “The Biden Administration is apparently coordinating with @Facebook to censor speech and evade the First Amendment. I’m asking @Facebook for answers.”
The Biden Administration is apparently coordinating with @Facebook to censor speech and evade the First Amendment. I’m asking @Facebook for answers pic.twitter.com/N4wztsXskK
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 15, 2021
The senator wrote to Zuckerberg, “I write with grave concern about the latest evidence that your company is coordinating with the federal government to suppress free speech in the United States of America.”
Hawley added, “Earlier today, the White House Press Secretary told reporters that the Biden Administration is in ‘regular touch with the social media platforms’ about misinformation and disinformation related to COVID-19, and that it is ‘flagging problematic posts for Facebook.'”
“The First Amendment is sacrosanct, and it is unconscionable that the federal government has evidently enlisted private actors to police speech in ways that it is unable,” the senator said.
Hawley requested three specific answers in his letter to Facebook.
First, his letter asked, “Please provide a full accounting of social media posts and content that the Biden Administration has flagged to employees of Facebook.”
Second, the senator said, “Please provide a full accounting of what social media posts and content the Biden Administration has asked Facebook to remove from its platform.”
Third, Hawley said, “Please provide a full accounting of what social media posts and content that Facebook has removed from its platform at the behest of the Biden Administration.”
Earlier on Thursday, Hawley also posted a tweet that noted, “The social media platforms are increasingly just arms of the federal government and the Biden White House.”
So now the Biden Administration is using @Facebook to impose its #COVID19 speech code. The social media platforms are increasingly just arms of the federal government and the Biden White House https://t.co/HpxQ9NnR6C
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 15, 2021
The post shared a tweet by RealClearPolitics White House reporter Philip Melanchthon Wegmann that featured Psaki’s quote.
The @PressSec says that the White House is “flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread this disinformation.”
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) July 15, 2021
Wegmann posted, “The @PressSec says that the White House is ‘flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread this disinformation.'”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
