Former Twitter employees said at a Republican-led U.S. House committee hearing on Wednesday that the blocking of tweets related to a laptop that allegedly belongs to President Joe Biden’s son Hunter was a mistake.
What Happened: The former staff members said that government officials were not involved in that decision, reported Reuters.
The three witnesses told the committee in a subpoenaed testimony that they had the mistaken belief that the New York Post article on the laptop’s contents had hacked material. They reportedly said they undid the decision to limit the spread of the story on the platform within 24 hours.
“America witnessed a coordinated campaign by social media companies, mainstream news and the intelligence community to suppress and de-legitimize the existence of Hunter Biden's laptop and its contents,” said the Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) at the beginning of the proceedings, according to Reuters.
Why It Matters: The witnesses included Yoel Roth, Twitter’s former Global Head of Trust & Safety, Vijaya Gadde — Twitter’s former Chief Legal Officer and employee Anika Collier Navaroli, reported Reuters.
Roth told the House panel that the team that enforced the rules on content was separate from Twitter’s personnel that dealt with the government.
Navaroli said, “I am here to tell you that doing nothing is not an option. If we continue to do nothing, violence is going to happen again.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) presented what she said was proof that Twitter and the federal government acted together to censor Americans.
“It's highly illegal. You were all engaged in this action. And I want you to know that you will all be held accountable,” said Luna, according to the report.
The Committee’s top Democrat member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) reportedly raised concerns over witness intimidation and said, “we have members who are actually threatening witnesses with arrest and prosecution for clearly imaginary offenses.”
The White House reportedly said in a statement that the hearing was a "bizarre political stunt" spurred by Biden's win over former President Donald Trump.
In the Twitter Files, revealed by current owner Elon Musk in December, the journalist Matt Taibbi showed links to tweets that Biden’s team allegedly wanted to be taken down.
Read Next: Elon Musk Jumps Into Action As Senator's Twitter Suspension Over Hunting Photo Causes Uproar
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