In the event that the GOP regains control of the House of Representatives in November, a group of 18 House Republicans is requesting that Twitter’s board retain all data relating to Elon Musk’s bid to acquire the firm. Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee requested Twitter board chairman Bret Taylor and other board members to retain any communications from official or personal accounts, including encryption software, that pertain to Twitter’s consideration of Musk’s offer in letters shared exclusively with CNBC.
A letter signed by ranking member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asks that you preserve all records and materials related to Musk’s offer to acquire Twitter, including Twitter’s consideration and response, and its evaluation of its shareholder interests with respect to Musk’s proposal. “At this time, Congress is examining Big Tech and how best to protect Americans’ free speech rights,” the letter reads.
Further, “you should interpret this preservation notice as a command to avoid the destruction or modification, whether deliberately or negligently,” of any records (including electronic data and metadata) that are or may be relevant to this congressional investigation,” the letter added.
If Republicans regain control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections of 2022, they may begin an inquiry into Twitter, particularly if the firm refuses to accept Musk’s offer, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. The House Judiciary Committee may subpoena documents of the board’s internal debates under Republican leadership.
In the past, Twitter has drawn the attention of Republican legislators. Twitter has been a focus for conservatives who claim that the social media site arbitrarily eliminates or moderates content based on their ideological leanings. Despite Twitter’s denials, the company claims to enforce standards based on its community rules.
In a letter to Taylor dated Friday, the legislators wrote: “Decisions about Twitter’s future governance will surely be momentous for public debate in the United States and might lead to fresh attempts to act in support of safeguarding free speech online. Additionally, Elon Musk’s attempt to buy Twitter, as well as the criticism from outsiders to Musk’s participation in Twitter’s future, is a worry.”
During Joe Biden’s time as vice president, the New York Post reported that his son, Hunter, attempted to introduce his father to a senior executive of a Ukrainian firm Hunter worked for while his father was in office. Biden’s presidential campaign said that no such meeting had happened and that the Post “never contacted Biden’s campaign about the crucial components of this report,” according to a statement released shortly after the article appeared.
Because it included personal information like email addresses, Twitter said at that time that links to the story were blocked because they violated its hacked materials policy. “Wrong” was the word used by then-CEO Jack Dorsey to describe Twitter’s decision to restrict the story’s connections. Many on the right took to Twitter to express their displeasure with the incident, claiming that the firm had unjustly censored the item because of its political viewpoint. A Twitter representative refused to respond to a request for comment.
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