House Republicans are calling for the exoneration of Mehta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Recognized his company During the pandemic, it had faced pressure from the Biden-Harris administration to “censor certain COVID-19 content.”
“For too long, the Harris-Biden Administration has pressured social media companies to censor Americans' opinions online. This is a deliberate abuse of power to stifle free speech,” Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the campaign arm of House Republicans, said on X.
“Mark Zuckerberg's [the House Judiciary Committee] Make no mistake: this was a deliberate attack on First Amendment rights. This abuse of power must end now.”
Facebook co-founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sent a letter detailing the Biden Administration's push for COVID information. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) earlier this week, Zuckerberg said he wished he and Facebook had been more outspoken about concerns about government censorship in 2021.
“Ultimately, our decision whether to remove content is ours and we take responsibility for our decisions, including the COVID-19-related modifications we made to our enforcement approach in response to this pressure,” Facebook's billionaire founder said. “I believe the government pressure was misguided and I regret that we were not more vocal about it.”
Zuckerberg said the administration has “repeatedly pressured our team for months” but noted that “we regularly hear public discussion and a range of public safety concerns from governments and others around the world.”
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Rep. Richard Hudson, chairman of the Republican National Congressional Committee, was among the Republicans who spoke out. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
Jordan has been investigating for months whether the Biden administration, which the White House opposes, conspired with social media companies to stifle free speech.
But Republicans now say Zuckerberg's letter is proof their suspicions were correct.
“Zuckerberg has acknowledged that the Biden-Harris Administration has pressured him to censor conservative voices. There must be accountability within the federal government,” Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican from Arizona, wrote on X.
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Zuckerberg accused the Biden administration of trying to censor certain COVID-19 information. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) said, “Wow. If it wasn't already obvious, Mr. Zuckerberg has now come clean and admitted that Facebook was censoring information at the behest of the Biden-Harris Administration. It's time to hold Big Tech accountable for their blatant censorship of conservatives.”
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The White House said Tuesday about Zuckerberg's letter that “in the face of a deadly pandemic, this Administration has encouraged responsible behavior to protect public health and safety.”
“Our position has been clear and consistent: We believe tech companies and other private actors should consider the impact of their actions on the American people and make their own choices about the information they provide.”
Fox News' Kate Sprague contributed to this report.
