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CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT CALLS OUT REPUBLICANS DURING SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING FOR EFFORT TO INFLUENCE SUPREME COURT OPINION

Washington, May 1, 2024

For Immediate Release                             Contact: Tionee Scotland
May 1, 2024                                                    340-201-6453



CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT CALLS OUT REPUBLICANS DURING SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING FOR EFFORT TO INFLUENCE SUPREME COURT OPINION

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett, Ranking Member of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, gives the following opening statement on the ninth hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.


*Please note that the text that is included below is not the full statement. *

“It is the sixth hearing, like ground hog day, for the same supposed weaponization of social media through the curious case of the so-called ‘Twitter Files,’ the idea that the FBI and the Biden White House have stopped social media companies from free speech.

Republicans are holding this hearing today in a last-ditch effort to influence the Supreme Court’s opinion in the case of Murthy v. Missouri.

During oral arguments in March, six justices questioned Republicans’ claim that federal government interactions with social media companies are tantamount to ‘censorship.’ The Supreme Court is presently working on in their chambers preparing a decision in that matter. 

Over and over again, social media company executives told the Cmmittee that no matter who identified concerning content – whether it be members of the general public, members of Congress, or White House employees – the companies evaluated the content against their own internal policies and only took action if the content violated those policies.

And over and over again, social media company executives told the Committee in no uncertain terms that:

·         No government official ever coerced them into taking action.

·         No government official ever threatened them with any adverse consequences if their companies did not take action.

·         And no government official ever promised them any benefits if they did take action.

But the Majority has consistently rebuked our requests that that testimony be made public. The Majority who have control of the tapes, likewise declined to provide us with copies of the hundreds of hours of video taken during this investigation.”

View the full opening statement here.

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