Elon Musk drops new details on Twitter's suppression of Hunter Biden laptop
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Twitterchief Elon Musk made good on his pledge to drop new information about the company's behind-the-scenes machinations about the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story in October 2020.
Musk retweeted a thread from journalist Matt Taibbi, who slowly rolled out information from the so-called Twitter files. The thread revealed that Twitter mulled requests from political groups to suppress material.
The outspoken CEO had teased Friday that he would divulge the new information at 5 p.m. Eastern time but subsequently announced there would be a significant delay because the company was "double-checking some facts."
1. Thread: THE TWITTER FILES
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 2, 2022
Taibbi shared screenshots of internal conversations in which Twitter employees noted tweets that had been flagged by the Biden team or the Democratic National Committee. He explained that both parties highlighted content to Twitter but emphasized that the company wasn't even-handed because it was staffed with people who leaned Democratic.
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/sa1uVRNhuHpic.twitter.com/K1xmqQ0TrD
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 3, 2022
At one point, a schism appeared to emerge between the communication and policy teams after then-White House press secretary Kaleigh McEnany was locked from her Twitter account. McEnany had tweeted material about the laptop story. Someone at the company noted her tweet was "bounced" for breaching the hacked materials policy.
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
Taibbi emphasized that while "several sources recalled hearing about a 'general' warning from federal law enforcement," he found no evidence that the government was involved in the laptop story.
He further claimed that the decision was made at "the highest levels of the company, but without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey." Vijaya Gadde, the former head of legal, policy, and trust who departed the company after Musk's takeover, was involved, according to Taibbi.
"They just freelanced it," one former employee told him. "Hacking was the excuse, but within a few hours, pretty much everyone realized that wasn't going to hold. But no one had the guts to reverse it."
During the internal machinations, Dorsey sent Gadde a copy of a Substack article Taibbi wrote ripping the suppression of the laptop story, according to internal emails.
Internally, many employees began to fret over the handling of the matter, with some asking if they could "truthfully claim that this is part of the policy" or raising questions about "the policy basis for marking this as unsafe." Others pointed to the 2016 election and were keen on avoiding a repeat, concerned about potential foreign interference.
Amid the internal fervor, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) had an exchange with Gadde in which he raised concerns about the First Amendment, a "mention of which is generally hard to find in the files," according to Taibbi , who suggested Democratic concerns over the suppression wasn't common.
Carl Szabo, from the research firm NetChoice, sent Lauren Culbertson, the head of public policy, a letter explaining he polled 12 members of Congress about the matter and found a consensus among Democrats.
"The Democrats were in agreement: social media needs to moderate more because they're corrupting democracy and making all 'truth' relative. When pushed on how the government might insist on that, consistent with the First Amendment, they demurred: 'the First Amendment isn't absolute,'" he wrote.
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
Musk has long ripped the blocking of the laptop story as "obviously incredibly inappropriate" and pledged to expand transparency and steer Twitter in a more pro-free speech direction since his $44 billion takeover of the company, which took effect in October.
During the tumultuous 2020 election homestretch, Twitter blocked sharing of an October 2020 New York Post story about Hunter Biden's laptop and also temporarily froze the news outlet's Twitter account before later backpedaling.
The story explored the his overseas business dealings and raised questions about the involvement of his father, President Joe Biden. Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey later conceded the company made a "total mistake" by squelching the story.
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I would not use Twitter for anything, but especially not a news source. Who does that?
Meantime, we poor NT members were privy to many, many articles and links to various,
mostly right leaning publications like Parlor and Gab about the laptop and Hunter's personal
issues.
We already knew Hunter had drug problems and deliberately failed out of the Navy after what appeared to be special treatment to get him into the Navy.
Twitter only reaches 6.2% of the world population.
Only 18% of Americans use twttr daily.
None of the negative stories about Trump, the Trump organization or the Trump family or their
values stropped Trump from being elected. Trump was elected because he wasn't Clinton.
It's highly doubtful that more revelations about Hunter would have changed the minds of enough
voters to change the results of the 2020 election. Biden was elected because he wasn't Trump.
None of the laundry mattered.
Twitter is a non entity and Musk and his moron supporters and enablers continue to make it so
I have an account but haven't tried to access it for probably about a decade
FUCK OFF
Twitter is soo lucky.
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The deflection and/spin and attacks on Musk from the left will be very entertaining
The first thing we learn from this is that Jack Dorsey wasn't a key player. These were decisions made by some of the Twitter underlings. The question is who spoke for the DNC? Who spoke for the Biden campaign?
We also learned that James Baker the former FBI lawyer embroiled in the Russia hoax then went to work for Twitter.
Musk is not done.
He is set drop another trove of e-mails today.
Never underestimate the political influence of the upper echelons of the FBI and CIA in this.
The "Twitter Files" showed on at least one occasion, the "Biden team" instructed Twitter employees to remove politically inconvenient content in October 2020, just weeks before Joe Biden was elected President of the United States.
"More to review from the Biden team," an email from a redacted Twitter employee said. The message included five tweet URLs. "Thanks all," the message was casually signed.
"Taibbi added: "Twitter took extraordinary steps to suppress the story, removing links and posting warnings that it may be ‘unsafe.’ They even blocked its transmission via direct message, a tool hitherto reserved for extreme cases, e.g. child pornography."
On another occasion, then- White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was locked out of her account for sharing content about the Hunter Biden controversy.
"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," Taibbi wrote."
People dont care about Hunter Biden's laptop, and probably care even less about what Twitter did about it. Elon Musk has pissed away any overall good will connected to his takeover of twitter. He has let known nazis, racists, q anon freaks and general weirdos back on twitter, and Musk has acted personally erratically while doing so. This Hunter Biden business is at best a sideshow that will reinforce the idea that Musk is unstable.
The right is doubling down on "Hunter Biden" , which is good because the story will destroy them. The public doesnt care, and the worst thing politicians can do is obsess about things no one cares about.
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These people the democrats use to vote for them don't know what day it is.
Concerned citizens may not have given fucking Joe Biden their vote had they have known about Hunter peddling influence to foreign countries.
And BTW:
Why did all these Republicans not show up to vote? Because they are embarrassed to death that their party clings to Trump , MTG, Kevin McCarthy, Herschel Walker, and all the other morons and weirdos under the Republican banner. Keep going - you will re-elect Biden.
They voted John. The DNC kept getting ballots to people who they figured to vote party affiliation. Pay attention to what Brian Kemp did. He mastered the democrats game. Fucking Joe Biden won't even win the DNC nomination.
And the far-right wing fascists just get crazier on a daily basis.
Like people don't care about Trump's taxes, Russian Collusion, some asinine phone call to Ukraine that the main witness wasn't even present for, or the Jan 6th committee.
Democrats for sure don't care. They never have and never will give a shit about the First Amendment or the Constitution.
Only leftist TDS driven loons think so. They no longer have their safe space circle jerk of information, (not facts- there is nothing factual about what they are posting).
He banned Ye again; so Twitter still has policies and standards. But now they TDS driven leftists must deal with their opposites on the right! Whatever are they going to do! Their unfactual information is being challenged! They might actually have to read something they don't agree with; or worse still challenges what they think!
Again, only to Democrats. In the real world there is an investigation that has evidence and witnesses leading all the way to "the Big Guy". Not talking about what Hunter calls what is in his pants either. The only thing stopping charges from being filed is the most corrupt, partisan, POS DOJ in the history of the US. The investigation is being slow walked so badly it is sickening. It began in 2018- it receive no media attention in 2020. It is now 2022 and it disappeared again for midterms. Maybe the DOJ will grow a pair before 2024; or they will make it disappear again for the those elections.
The public will care. Just wait until the investigation in the House begins and the evidence is presented. This isn't just about Hunter Biden. It is about Brandon the human fuck up machine being guilty of doing everything TDS driven morons accused Trump of doing; but they could never find evidence of it. Abusing the power of his position to enrich his family and himself. Selling access to not just the VP; but also the presidency.
Brandon even bragged about it- which proves he is even dumber than the Clinton's.
Thank you Democrats for doing away with rules on who can be assigned to investigative committees. Maybe McCarthy will allow two hand picked Democrats onto the investigative committee; if they are anti Brandon enough. They can even televise it on prime time selecting only witnesses and evidence that furthers their investigation. Popcorn sales will explode for the majority of viewers! Along with Vaseline sales for butt hurt Democrats, their media sycophants, and lemming followers.
Your hallucinations concerning what the public thinks are quite amusing.
“what the public thinks are quite amusing”
Exactly, for example just the other day a moronic article appeared claiming elon musk was turning twitter into a nazi haven, then a couple of days later musk banned a person from twitter for putting up a swastika. Lol.
That coming from you is one of the most amusing things I have ever read. Your hallucinations and delusions about everything Trump are hilarious!
This centrist thinks that far-right wing fascism is what is wrong in the world.
I pay his nonsensical projections and ravings no mind. A complete waste of time like certain other posters
The last bastions of a liberal losing an argument - personal attacks. You seem to get to this point pretty quickly.
The media is not covering this story because they are the story.
Let's see:
Trump = former POTUS and current POTUS candidate.
Hunter = private citizen.
I bet you do not understand the difference....
Democrats are not penalizing various companies in Florida for speaking their minds.
Democrats have also never, outright, called for the Constitution to be suspended.
Well thank god for Truth Social , who has never ever blocked any kind of opinion....... Right?
They are not " policies and standards" unless they are equally applied.
In the "real world" Durham was also investigating, I hear he is now available to lead the laptop investigation. After all, you can't argue with his results.
By "public", I can only assume you mean right wingers.
"The right is doubling down on "Hunter Biden" , which is good because the story will destroy them. The public doesnt care, and the worst thing politicians can do is obsess about things no one cares about."
You mean the Dems obsessing over things no one cares about like Trump-Putin collusion, J6, Mir-A-Lago, "democracy", climate change, etc. Hunter's laptop will reveal all kinds Biden scandals, so stay tuned..
Actually climate change j6, Trump/Putin collusion and democracy mean everything.
Hunter's laptop means nothing and never did.
Chalk it up to they got nothing as usual and are obsessing over Hunter Biden
Another nothingberder
I'd venture a guess that there is more concern about this computer than Trump and J6 combined.
That is if you are a leftist and supported the censorship from the previous CEO of Twitter.
So you are on Twitter.
Give me some of what you're drinking, I want to enter an altered state of consciousness too.
I look at Twitter to find interesting information, mostly from news sites and some pundits.
It is a great source in that way.
Said nobody with a functioning brain.
It strikes me that everything right wingers say about Hunter's laptop, could be substituted with "Hillary's emails". It's like a "Q" version of Mad Libs .
Ah, the "whataboutism". Come back when you have something of substance to contribute.
You seem confused about the definition of "whataboutism". I am demonstrating the hypocrisy of right wingers, not "whataboutism".
Not at all, Hillary's email didn't include descriptions of crack usage, personal sex act, porn searches, references of shorthand that "10 held by H for the big guy?" is shorthand for 10% of the Chinese deal held by Hunter for his father.
Tell us again if it is okay for service members to accuse the President of the United States, their Commander in Chief, of personally profiting from foreign business deals and of not reporting the income, keeping in mind that President Biden has made his taxes public and tax evasion is a major crime!
I don't believe so, now tell me which service members have accused the CiC.
You told us you are still active duty here several times. I really never believed it, because you are way way past mandatory retirement age and obviously not working, on here 24/7...
In any case you seem to be advancing on some serious shit.
I knew an active duty guy who slandered the President once.
If the President of the United States illicitly and personally profited from any secret business deals with any foreign businesses or governments and lied about it on his taxes that would ruin him. Butt, falsely accusing him is AOK by you?
Money is pretty easy to follow yet you have absolutely ZERO!
Doesn't matter what they included or not. Right wing claims could be used the same way, whether about the email or the laptop.
Either your reading is careless or you comprehension is declining. I have never claimed here to be on active duty. I retired from active duty status in 1998. I am a federal worker now, an HQDA civilian.
I haven't advanced anything not published by nymag.com or CBS.
You're the one that argued equivalency.
I don't know what you mean.
Based on that, you must think the Trump is innocent of any tax violations.
No, the Trump Organization is on trial in NY at this moment!
Congress finally got Trump's taxes when? Mere days ago...
Biden's tax returns the last twenty years are public domain.
See the difference?
I see that your earlier assertion, "Money is pretty easy to follow yet you have absolutely ZERO!" is bullshit.
Is it okay you are accusing the President of filing false taxes?
Because, that is what you and Texan are accusing Biden of...
My Dad was a federal agent. He was held to high standards!
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I do know that if what Trump told the government in his taxes proves he lied to bankers and regulators he committed crimes!
Then you are accusing President Biden of filing false taxes!
I haven't made that accusation, what confused you?
Equivalency with right wing claims. I'm sorry you seem to be having such a hard time with this language.
Then stop making statements like you do.
No reason to be sorry as I have no hard time with your humorous thinking.
I'll stop pretending to have a clue what you may really mean.
Not confused. Not in the least. I will give you credit for trying to deflect the subject. You failed, but I'll still give you credit.
Isn't a prerequisite for being a comedian that the person has to be funny? I think that all ended with Carson, Leno and Letterman.
Thank you Elon Musk for returning the freedom of speech to Americans and even people in not so free countries.
I just showed you the facts. Keep listening to MSN.
And BTW, don't bother talking about anti-Semitism. The democratic party is LOADED with anti-Semites!
Like Obama...
And election denier/racist/anti-Semite Hakeem Jeffries.
It's amazing.
Democrats last week: Election denial is an assault on Democracy.
Democrats this week: Let's elect Hakeem Jefferies our leader in the House.
Are these sanitized numbers like the bragged-about libs upvoting conservative losers in the primaries?
So happy that fascists can propagate hate speech on twitter now.
You're still on Twitter?
The sooner Twitter is dead the better.
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It will be interesting to see what comes out and if there are any congressional committees coming out of any revelations. I will not say this is the beginning for the end of the Biden Cartel (even though I just said it) but we may find there are some people getting very nervous about what comes out and if there was actually any collusion between twitter and the Democrats to kill information that would make Joe look bad. That sure would sound like election tampering, something the dems are sometimes against.
It's nice to be vindicated, again. That Twitter and the MSM simply went into protect Biden at all costs mode and simply threw together ad hoc justifications to suppress and censor the story was obvious from day one. And it is interesting to see that Twitter lied to the FEC about having no contact with the Biden campaign over the story. The most predictable thing of all is the reaction from the corporatist left, who've gone full Mussolini and cheer on the merger of massive corporations and the government.
At the end of the day the real import of stories like this is they explain of how we end up with Trump as President. The media is so obviously corrupt and so willing to do anything to win, that someone like Trump becomes possible. He's just a mirror image of the sort of mindset that suppresses, censors and lies about stories for partisan advantage. If the media is so shamelessly corrupt, what does it matter if Trump lies, cheats etc?
What is it that you think that I'm trying to dodge?
The same thing all right wingers try to dodge....Reality
What makes you write that?
I have a question for all the laptop kool-aid drinkers.
Is there any indication or evidence that anyone in the mainstream media takes this 'conspiracy' nonsense seriously? The stampede to make Hunter Biden the focal point for all the dysfunction in America comes entirely from the fever swamped right.
The "twitter files" are largely a dud. Google it.
Yes sir, they are all upset about it. They interfered in an election. Musk holds the receipts!
Show us where in Musk's Twitter Dump is any evidence that Democrats or the government pressured Twitter to not run with wild unfounded accusations and speculation about the Bidens!
It took you all this time to come up with a question that you thought could technically not be proven?
We didn't have to even wait for Musk. First we had the 52 former intelligence progressive officials who made their infamous claim just after the Post came out with the story to say it looked like "Russian disinformation." Then after the election Mark Zuckerberg told us of the FBI warning he got:
So the idea that we need to wait for any more carefully worded e-mails from Twitter is DOA.
Holy fuck John, your defense for the mainstream media colluding with the FBI and intelligence community to bury a story is……the mainstream media isn’t covering the story of them colluding with the fbi and intelligence community?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA……..
So you want us to take Fox News, Brietbart, Rudy Giuliani , the New York Post's, Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene's word for it? LMAO.
Lol....and let us not forget the 52 former intelligence officials who said it looked like Russian disinformation.
Don't you just love it when the FBI & CIA are careful to protect themselves with the way they say something?
It's kind of like when a devout progressive says "I just want the police to do the right thing."
John, all of the MSM has now admitted that the laptop is Hunter's.
Remember when the Nazi’s propaganda paper NY times said 16 intelligence agencies said Trump collusion with Russia? We all can tell exactly where you get your “news”.
Lol..That's when candidate Clinton and her campaign manager kept talking about 16 intelligence agencies!
It took about a month before anyone asked "Who the hell are these 16 intelligence agencies?"
One was the Coast Guard, still laughing at all morons who bought into that. Or the mindless drones who still bleat Helsinki.
More evidence / indication that there was wrongdoing by the previous administration. But you keep beating that dead horse.
Sandman wants his 15 minutes of fame back.
Actually, he probably wants the evidence to sue and charge douchebags with terrorist threatening.