Exposed: Hunter Biden Twitter files released by Elon Musk

Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Twitter, said late Friday afternoon that he will explain “what really happened” when the New York Post’s account was shut down and the article about Hunter Biden’s laptop was taken down from the social media site.

In 2020, rumors concerning Hunter Biden’s laptop were restricted from dissemination on Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms under the flimsy and now debunked theory that they may be Russian misinformation.

The New York Post’s post was flatly blocked by the firm, and their account was also suspended as a result. The CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, then withdrew that, and the Washington Post resumed tweeting, but the story was still mostly seen as radioactive on social media and in the media. Until it was shown to be true, that is.

Conservatives and Republicans have made a big deal out of the whole scenario, claiming that it violates the liberties guaranteed by the First Amendment to the people and the press.

Since then, they’ve talked a lot more about it, and what they’ve said suggests that it might have had an effect on the election.

After Musk said he would expose “what actually occurred,” the responses and criticism started pouring in. As indicated by a response that appeared immediately after his first message, it didn’t take long to determine which direction the news he provided would be heading.

Oh you mean the same MSM that all colluded to suppress the story? That MSM?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2022

That’s what you’d expect, since he’s already said this week that Twitter “messed with” previous elections. Regardless, time passed after he made the significant statement. Musk then said that there would be a delay as he “double-checked some information,” but that he expected to have something in roughly 40 minutes.

We’re double-checking some facts, so probably start live tweeting in about 40 mins

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2022

Even then, the period came and passed. and they continued to grow.

pic.twitter.com/n3DlGGIHpC

— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) December 2, 2022

Eventually, he reposted a tweet from Matt Taibbi that seemed like a commercial and left several people perplexed. This time, he used two popcorn emojis.

Here we go!! 🍿🍿 https://t.co/eILK9f3bAm

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2022

There was some “throat-clearing” at the beginning of the Taibbi thread, but it quickly morphed into a series of images and explanations of events from the beginning of the Hunter Biden narrative.

The Background

1. Thread: THE TWITTER FILES

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 2, 2022

3. The “Twitter Files” tell an incredible story from inside one of the world’s largest and most influential social media platforms. It is a Frankensteinian tale of a human-built mechanism grown out the control of its designer.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 2, 2022

5. In an early conception, Twitter more than lived up to its mission statement, giving people “the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.”

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 2, 2022

7. Slowly, over time, Twitter staff and executives began to find more and more uses for these tools. Outsiders began petitioning the company to manipulate speech as well: first a little, then more often, then constantly.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 2, 2022

8. By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets were routine. One executive would write to another: “More to review from the Biden team.” The reply would come back: “Handled.” pic.twitter.com/mnv0YZI4af

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 2, 2022

9. Celebrities and unknowns alike could be removed or reviewed at the behest of a political party: pic.twitter.com/4uzkHnQ65E

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 2, 2022

11. This system wasn’t balanced. It was based on contacts. Because Twitter was and is overwhelmingly staffed by people of one political orientation, there were more channels, more ways to complain, open to the left (well, Democrats) than the right. https://t.co/sa1uVRNhuH pic.twitter.com/K1xmqQ0TrD

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

Okay, there was more throat-clearing about the process, but screw it, let’s jump forward

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

Some Specifics

After a very lengthy intro, Taibbi gets down to business.

17. On October 14, 2020, the New York Post published BIDEN SECRET EMAILS, an expose based on the contents of Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop: https://t.co/q4zaMw6aVV

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

19. White House spokeswoman Kaleigh McEnany was locked out of her account for tweeting about the story, prompting a furious letter from Trump campaign staffer Mike Hahn, who seethed: “At least pretend to care for the next 20 days.” pic.twitter.com/CcXTfsdzCT

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

20.This led public policy executive Caroline Strom to send out a polite WTF query. Several employees noted that there was tension between the comms/policy teams, who had little/less control over moderation, and the safety/trust teams: pic.twitter.com/0IFnVPCOgY

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

21. Strom’s note returned the answer that the laptop story had been removed for violation of the company’s “hacked materials” policy: https://t.co/EdTa2xbXn1 pic.twitter.com/KQFRiKYKkb

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

23. The decision was made at the highest levels of the company, but without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey, with former head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde playing a key role.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

https://t.co/j4EeXEAw6F can see the confusion in the following lengthy exchange, which ends up including Gadde and former Trust and safety chief Yoel Roth. Comms official Trenton Kennedy writes, “I’m struggling to understand the policy basis for marking this as unsafe”: pic.twitter.com/w1wBMlG33U

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

26. By this point “everyone knew this was fucked,” said one former employee, but the response was essentially to err on the side of… continuing to err. pic.twitter.com/2wJMFAUBoe

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

27. Former VP of Global Comms Brandon Borrman asks, “Can we truthfully claim that this is part of the policy?” pic.twitter.com/Rh5HL8prOZ

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

28. To which former Deputy General Counsel Jim Baker again seems to advise staying the non-course, because “caution is warranted”: pic.twitter.com/tg4D0gLWI6

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

The RO KHANNA objection

30. In one humorous exchange on day 1, Democratic congressman Ro Khanna reaches out to Gadde to gently suggest she hop on the phone to talk about the “backlash re speech.” Khanna was the only Democratic official I could find in the files who expressed concern. pic.twitter.com/TSSYOs5vfy

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

Gadde replies quickly, immediately diving into the weeds of Twitter policy, unaware Khanna is more worried about the Bill of Rights: pic.twitter.com/U4FRLYYPaY

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

32.Khanna tries to reroute the conversation to the First Amendment, mention of which is generally hard to find in the files: pic.twitter.com/Tq6l7VMuQL

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

The SAGA continues

33.Within a day, head of Public Policy Lauren Culbertson receives a ghastly letter/report from Carl Szabo of the research firm NetChoice, which had already polled 12 members of congress – 9 Rs and 3 Democrats, from “the House Judiciary Committee to Rep. Judy Chu’s office.” pic.twitter.com/UpBoq97QkB

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

34.NetChoice lets Twitter know a “blood bath” awaits in upcoming Hill hearings, with members saying it’s a “tipping point,” complaining tech has “grown so big that they can’t even regulate themselves, so government may need to intervene.” pic.twitter.com/2EE1NlWQ5k

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

35.Szabo reports to Twitter that some Hill figures are characterizing the laptop story as “tech’s Access Hollywood moment”: pic.twitter.com/JTvXoQh6ZK

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

The First Amendment Hypothesis

36.Twitter files continued:
“THE FIRST AMENDMENT ISN’T ABSOLUTE”
Szabo’s letter contains chilling passages relaying Democratic lawmakers’ attitudes. They want “more” moderation, and as for the Bill of Rights, it’s “not absolute” pic.twitter.com/cWdNYIprp8

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

An amazing subplot of the Twitter/Hunter Biden laptop affair was how much was done without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey, and how long it took for the situation to get “unfucked” (as one ex-employee put it) even after Dorsey jumped in.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

While reviewing Gadde’s emails, I saw a familiar name – my own. Dorsey sent her a copy of my Substack article blasting the incident pic.twitter.com/4EYVKdVdNF

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

There are multiple instances in the files of Dorsey intervening to question suspensions and other moderation actions, for accounts across the political spectrum

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

The problem with the "hacked materials" ruling, several sources said, was that this normally required an official/law enforcement finding of a hack. But such a finding never appears throughout what one executive describes as a "whirlwind" 24-hour, company-wide mess. pic.twitter.com/aONKCROEOd

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022

It's been a whirlwind 96 hours for me, too. There is much more to come, including answers to questions about issues like shadow-banning, boosting, follower counts, the fate of various individual accounts, and more. These issues are not limited to the political right.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022