House Report Details Biden Censorship
The consequences of the Biden White House coercing media companies to suppress news were “disastrous” to the country, according to a report released by the House Judiciary Committee. “From unnecessary extended school closures to unconstitutional vaccine mandates that forced workers to take a newly developed vaccine or risk losing their jobs, the Biden Administration and other officials needlessly imposed harm and suffering on Americans across the country,” the report states.
According to Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, “By suppressing free speech and intentionally distorting public debate in the modern town square, ideas, and policies were no longer fairly tested and debated on their merits. Instead, policymakers implemented a series of public health measures that proved to be disastrous for the country.”
Labeled an “interim report,” with more expected to follow, the work details a months-long campaign by the Biden White House to coerce large companies, namely Meta (parent company of Facebook), Alphabet (parent company of YouTube), and Amazon, to censor books, videos, posts, and other content online. By the end of 2021, Facebook, YouTube, and Amazon changed their content moderation policies in ways that were directly responsive to criticism from the Biden Administration.”
Officially credited to the House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, the report concluded the following:
- Big Tech changed their content moderation policies because of the Biden White House
- The Biden White House's censorship targeted true information, satire, and other content that did not violate the platforms' policies
- The Biden White House's censorship campaign had a chilling effect on other speech
- The White House had leverage because the companies had other policy concerns involving the Biden Administration
- The Biden White House pushed censorship of books, not just social media
“But the most important documents to understanding the Biden White House’s censorship efforts have proven to be internal emails from the companies on the receiving end of White House threats and coercion,” the report goes on. After issuing dozens of subpoenas to Big Tech, government agencies, and relevant third parties, they obtained tens of thousands of documents illustrating the details of the Biden White House’s pressure campaign. Obtaining key internal company communications—often including the highest levels of company leadership—took additional escalatory measures, including threats to hold Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in contempt of Congress. Having obtained and reviewed the emails and other relevant nonpublic documents, the committee was able to paint a more complete picture of how and the extent to which the Biden White House coerced companies to suppress free speech.