House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has extended invitations to three former Biden White House officials to participate in a public hearing aiming to delve into their involvement in pressuring companies to censor online content.
This inquiry comes as the Supreme Court deliberates on whether the administration breached the First Amendment by urging platforms like Facebook to remove posts and videos.
Jordan issued invitations to former White House director of digital strategy Rob Flaherty, former COVID-19 coordinator Andy Slavitt, and former COVID-19 digital director Clarke Humphrey. The public hearing is set for May 1st. This invitation followed Flaherty and Slavitt's defiance of Jordan's earlier subpoenas mandating their testimony in closed-door depositions.
If any of the invited guests choose to attend, the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee, which concentrates on the political weaponization of federal offices, will oversee the hearing.
Jordan, chairing the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, issued legally binding subpoenas in November, compelling Flaherty and Slavitt to attend depositions in January. However, both individuals opted not to appear. As of now, the Judiciary Committee has not pursued any action to hold them in contempt, a measure that could entail criminal penalties.
Last month, Supreme Court justices listened to oral arguments in a lawsuit filed by Missouri and Louisiana against the Biden administration. The lawsuit alleges that the administration pressured social media companies to remove purported misinformation, particularly regarding COVID-19 vaccines.
The lawsuit brought by Republican-led state governments uncovered a trove of documents indicating that Flaherty and his team exerted significant pressure on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. However, efforts to compel testimony from Flaherty and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who stated in 2021 that Biden aides were “flagging” content for removal, were unsuccessful.
Critics of censorship highlight that content suppressed online frequently gains widespread acceptance over time. For instance, the theory suggesting that the COVID pandemic originated from the Wuhan lab was censored by Facebook until May 2021. However, this theory is now endorsed by the FBI.
