Representatives Lamborn, Collins, Biggs, and Banks File Resolution Condemning Twitter's Biased Censorship of President Trump

Statement

Today, Representative Doug Lamborn, Rep. Doug Collins, Rep. Andy Biggs, and Rep. Jim Banks filed a resolution condemning Twitter's biased and unwarranted censorship of President Donald J. Trump. The resolution is a response to Twitter's recent fact checking of President Trump's tweets and the improper application of their new Civic Integrity Policy. The resolution states that Twitter is in violation of the President's First Amendment Rights and further condemns these actions.

"Free speech is one of the founding principles of our nation. President Trump uniquely uses social media to interact directly with the American people, and to bypass the political biases of the mainstream media," Congressman Lamborn said. "Now, Twitter, a platform built on the free and open exchange of ideas, is singling out the President in an attempt to suppress his First Amendment right and interfere in the Democratic process. We cannot allow this to continue unchecked. I am grateful for the support of Representative Collins, Biggs, and Banks, and I am glad to stand up for the rights of all Americans."

"Our country was founded upon the free exchange of ideas and the ability of all Americans to speak freely, a principle that has allowed social media outlets like Twitter to thrive. But in far too many instances, Twitter has erroneously substituted their own judgment for the marketplace of ideas, using their "Civic Integrity Policy' as a guise to censor conservative voices," said Congressman Collins. "Twitter has an obligation to protect the speech of all Americans -- despite the fact that they may disagree with certain individuals' views. This resolution will condemn Twitter for their partisan censorship of President Trump and demand Twitter end its discriminatory practices immediately."

"By censoring discourse and providing fact checks to users' posts, digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have acted like publishers while maintaining the liability exemptions provided in Section 230 that are reserved for digital platforms. At their advent, these digital platforms served as a virtual public square, in which users could exercise their First Amendment right to share their opinions and beliefs with others. But now, these same platforms are acting like thought-police, filtering political ideology, flagging posts they deem questionable, and promoting the news, sources, and information they deem worthy." Congressman Biggs continued saying, "Congress must reconsider whether platforms-turned-publishers that clearly pick and choose what information should remain available, should continue to receive Section 230 protection. It is time we hold these platforms-turned-publishers accountable for their actions; they are not entitled any longer to the protective exclusions given to platforms."

Twitter often singles out conservative speech, but its treatment of President Trump is the most brazen example so far," Congressman Banks stated. "With 2020 closing in, Big Tech couldn't resist tipping the scale. We can't allow overzealous progressives to control political discourse--the stakes are too high. President Trump and principled members of Congress will respond accordingly."