Letter to the Hon. Carolyn Maloney, Chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee - Oversight Republicans call for emergency hearing on big tech's election interference
Letter
Dear Chairwoman Maloney:
We respectfully request an emergency hearing on Big Tech's repeated efforts to interfere in the 2020 election. Big Tech's silencing of conservative viewpoints and censorship of news undermines the integrity of the 2020 election and harms Americans' First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
Most recently, Facebook and Twitter censored a negative news article about Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. According to the New York Post, emails show that in 2015, Hunter Biden introduced then-Vice President Joe Biden to a Ukrainian energy executive from Burisma. During this time, Hunter Biden served on Burisma's board of directors. Joe Biden has repeatedly denied ever speaking to Hunter Biden about his international business dealings. In addition to a now infamous video showing Joe Biden bragging about interfering in Ukraine affairs, the New York Post article raises more questions about whether Joe Biden lied about using his position as Vice President to help his son's Ukrainian business dealings.
Shortly after the story was posted on Facebook, the company decided to "reduce its distribution" in an apparent attempt to limit access to the story. Just as concerning, Facebook reportedly refused to answer basic questions about its decision. Twitter also censored the article and warned users that it is "potentially spammy or unsafe." Facebook and Twitter have done little to limit distribution of negative stories about President Trump or others who may share his political views. This effort to selectively limit speech based on political affiliation is very concerning.
Since the election is in only 19 days and other Big Tech platforms continuously limit speech based on political ideology, we must immediately hold a hearing to learn who are responsible for making these decisions and what policies enable Big Tech to selectively limit speech on social media. In order to prevent further interference in the 2020 election by Big Tech, we request the Committee hold an emergency hearing on this important matter before November 3.
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