Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s admission that his company succumbed to the ‘repeated’ pressure from the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration to censor posts is a significant revelation that has brought the issue to light.
GOP House members claim vindication after Zuckerberg admitted the administration pressured his company to “censor certain COVID-19 content” during the pandemic.
“For too long, the Harris-Biden admin pressured social media companies to censor Americans’ views online. This was a deliberate abuse of power to stifle free speech,” said the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the campaign arm of the House GOP, Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, on X.
Tom Emmer, the No. 3 Republican leader and House Majority Whip, said on the site, “Mark Zuckerberg’s letter to [the House Judiciary Committee] leaves no room for doubt: this was an intentional assault on First Amendment rights. This abuse of power must end now.”
Zuckerberg wrote to Republican House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio earlier in the week that he wished he and his company had been more transparent about government censorship concerns in 2021.
“Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we own our decisions, including Covid-19-related changes we made to our enforcement in the wake of this pressure,” said the Facebook founder. “I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it.”
Zuckerberg stated the administration “repeatedly pressured our teams for months.” However, he noted, “We regularly hear from governments around the world and others with various concerns around public discourse and public safety.”
Rep. Jordan has been conducting a lengthy investigation into whether the Biden administration colluded with social media companies to suppress free speech, which the White House has resisted.
Republicans say Zuckerberg’s letter is proof their suspicions were correct
However, the GOP says Zuckerberg’s letter proves their suspicions were correct.
“Zuckerberg admitted that the Biden-Harris regime pressured him to censor conservative voices. There must be accountability within the federal government,” wrote Republican Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona on X.
GOP Representative from Florida, Vern Buchanan, said, “Wow. If it wasn’t glaringly obvious enough already (it was), Zuckerberg is now coming clean and admitting that Facebook censored information at the request of the Biden-Harris WH. It’s time to finally hold Big Tech accountable for their blatant censorship of conservatives.”
“When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this administration encouraged responsible actions to protect health and safety,” said the White House Tuesday of Zuckerberg’s letter.
“Our position has been clear and consistent: We believe tech companies and other private actors should take into account the effects their actions have on the American people while making independent choices about the information they present.”
