Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has seemingly supported Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in his criticism of the Joe Biden administration’s alleged suppression of the lab leak theory.
What Happened: On Wednesday, the tech billionaire reacted to Jordan’s thread on X, formerly Twitter.
In his post, Jordan spoke about the Biden White House’s alleged censorship of the lab leak theory, which suggests that the COVID-19 virus may have originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.
Jordan’s posts included an alleged 2021 message from Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms, Inc. to other high-ranking Facebook executives, including Sheryl Sandberg, Nick Clegg, and Joel Kaplan.
He said, “On July 16, 2021, Mark Zuckerberg texted Sheryl Sandberg, Nick Clegg, and Joel Kaplan. Three of the highest ranking executives at Facebook. Could Facebook tell the world that ‘the [Biden] WH put pressure on us to censor the lab leak theory?'”
Responding to Jordan’s post, Musk called the situation a “Smoking gun First Amendment violation.” The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of speech and the press, among other rights.
Why It Matters: The lab leak theory has been a contentious issue since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The theory suggests that the virus may have accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, rather than originating from a wet market, as initially believed.
Last year in March, China strongly criticized this theory saying, “By rehashing the lab-leak theory, the U.S. will not succeed in discrediting China, and instead, it will only hurt its own credibility.”
Musk’s stance on COVID-19-related matters has been a topic of interest. The billionaire entrepreneur has been critical of the COVID-19 vaccines and vocal about his skepticism towards them. However, he has also acknowledged the potential of mRNA technology in treating other diseases, such as cancer.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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