The Twitter Censorship Files
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Elon Musk's release of internal emails relating to Twitter's 2020 censorship is news by any definition, even if the mainstream media dismiss it. There will be many threads to unspool as more is released, but a couple of points are already worth making.
The first is that Mr. Musk would do the country a favor by releasing the documents all at once for everyone to inspect. So far he's dribbled them out piecemeal through journalist Matt Taibbi's Twitter feed, which makes it easier for the media to claim they can't report on documents because they can't independently confirm them.
A second point is an huzzah for Rep. Ro Khanna, the California progressive Democrat, who warned Twitter in 2020 about the free-speech implications and political backlash of censoring the New York Post story about Hunter Biden’s laptop. That was good advice, even if Twitter didn’t take it.
A third point is the confirmation of the central role that former spies played in October 2020 in framing the Hunter Biden story in a way that made it easier for Twitter and Facebook to justify their censorship.
Recall that former Democratic intelligence officials James Clapper and John Brennan led the spooks in issuing a public statement suggesting that the laptop may have been hacked and its content was Russian disinformation. On Oct. 16, 2020, Mr. Clapper told CNN that “to me, this is just classic textbook Soviet Russian tradecraft at work.” On Oct. 19, 51 former spooks released their statement claiming that the arrival of the emails “has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” (The statement and signers are published nearby.)
We now know that the Clapper-Brennan claims were themselves disinformation and that the laptop was genuine and not part of a Russian operation. CBS News recently waddled in two years later with a forensic analysis of its own and concluded it is real.
But the claims by the spies gave an excuse for the media to ignore the Hunter Biden story and even to dismiss Hunter’s former business partner, Tony Bobulinski, who went on the record before the election to confirm much of the content on the laptop with documentation in the form of voluminous text messages.
The Twitter documents published by Mr. Taibbi include part of what appears to be a memo from James Baker, the Twitter deputy general counsel. “I support the conclusion that we need more facts to assess whether the materials were hacked. At this stage, however, it is reasonable for us to assume that they may have been and that caution is warranted,” Mr. Baker wrote.
He continued that “there are some facts that indicate that the materials may have been hacked, while there are others indicating that the computer was either abandoned and/or the owner consented to allow the repair shop to access it for at least some purposes. We simply need more information.”
With an election so close, any delay helped the Biden campaign, which was trying to squelch the Hunter Biden story that raised questions about what Joe Biden knew about Hunter’s foreign business dealings. Twitter went ahead and suppressed the story across its platform, going so far as to suspend the New York Post’s Twitter account.
Readers may recall that Mr. Baker was director Jim Comey’s general counsel at the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the Russia collusion fiasco in 2016. He was the main FBI contact for Michael Sussmann, the Clinton campaign lawyer who spread falsehoods about the Trump campaign regarding Alfa Bank, among other things.
Mr. Baker’s ties to the former intelligence officials who signed the “Russian information operation” statement may have influenced his Twitter memo and the censorship decision. All of this is likely to be fodder for House Republican hearings into the FBI’s role in the Hunter Biden story.
The partisan foray by current and former U.S. intelligence officials in the last two elections should be deeply troubling to Americans on the left and right. They have authority by dint of access to information that isn’t confirmable by the press, which takes their spin as gospel. This is a form of political corruption that needs to be exposed, and perhaps the Twitter documents will help to unlock the story.
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This was the prime example of the media conspiring with democrats and the FBI to influence an election.
Musk needs to file a report.
I'm grateful that trumpsters are vilifying the DOJ, FBI, DHS, and CIA. maybe that will buy some time and consideration for american patriots when trumpster heads start exploding, you know, if and when any of them actually "nut up" and go for it...
It's a damn good hit on the left. They will be crying about that for a while. For those on the right, it just reinforces what many have already thought - the "intelligence officials" are nothing more than partisan hacks.
The left and (m)ass media will fight this tooth and nail to cover their corruption.
The "Deep State."
The left and (m)ass media will fight this tooth and nail to cover their corruption.
Thus far, it's been child's play.
Was just listening to that song this morning.
Of course the NYT aren't going to cover it. They're culpable of covering it up.
The reason the Times and others are so pissed off is because Musk has the evidence!
Who gives a fuck what Musk has to say?
PS I voted for Joe, not Hunter
PS nothing was censored regarding Hunter. Nothing to censor
How about when musk posted the lie on twitter that Paul Pelosi was attacked by a gay lover?
He promotes nothing but ignorance and lies and hate and racism like most republicans/gqp
That was another massive coverup wasn't it?
You see all we want is transparancy....and JUSTICE!
Joe and Jill Biden's taxes are public for the last twenty years. There has been no evidence that they personally profited in any way from Hunter Biden's business deals, which were legal. There is always an implication that something is up when those close to power profit from foreign businesses, like the Trump Klan has and continues to. Butt, it is legal...
The Hunter Biden laptop story has been flogged for years. Reputable news sourced just refused to spread wild unfounded unproven accusations at Joe Biden. If there is any proof of misdeeds by The President produce them. If not, no story here!
It should also be noted that from January of 2017 until January 2021 Biden held no public office. Democrats have long wanted to curb rank profiteering by those with proximity and access to power, like the Trump Klan, but the gop has always pulled out the stops to stop them doing it...
Trump lost badly in 2020. So, best you get over it.
If the gop nominates Trump Biden wins 2nd term.
Come on JBB, we all know that Joe is one stupid piece of crap, but nobody here is trying to claim that his tax attorneys are dumb enough to put, 10,000,000.00 million pay-off to the big guy from the Russia Mafia on his tax returns.
Hunter Biden didn't get to sell influence if the buyer thought Joe Biden wouldn't cooperate. There is plently of evidence that Hunter Biden took in millions from China and the Ukraine. The FBI is covering up. About two dozen whistleblowers are willing to testify. There is supposedly an investigation of Hunter Biden that has been on sleep mode for 2 years. We know who "the big guy" is.
Saving democracy would mean investigating the Bidens.
You mean like CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post? Those "reputable news sources?
You remember the last time the Democrats made moronic claims like that don't you? She got her ass handed to her and it kicked off the Democrats "Big Lie" spawning unfounded investigation after unfounded investigation that all came to a zero balance in success.
They got nothing JBB, as usual
Perhaps or possibly criminal violations of tax laws, foreign lobbying documentation and money laundering.
This topic is going to destroy what little credibility liberal workers drones here and in the media might have had.
Reminds me of a great Billy Preston tune when it comes to that “credibility.”
Trump was president in 2020 and prior. The same way this site has moderation to weed out hate and trolls so does Twitter and many other sites. I don't always agree with the way they handle it any more than I agree with the way other sites moderate content but when you use a site you are subject to their rules. They do just as much removing of left wing folks for crossing their "lines". The level of right wing grievance mongering over not dominating every social site is just ridiculous. They have had FOX the "most powerful name in news" for years, not to mention the vast array of right wing media hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Alex Jones, Joe Rogan, and far too many to bother naming since there is a vast array of right wing blogs, podcasts, radio shows Sinclair network, Fox network and they are free to be on ANY site. Just don't whine if an opinion crosses the line into hate speech or breaks their moderation rules. It happens to the left as well.
The federal government has no such right to moderate comments. The government is bound by the Constitution. What we are finding out is that government had used social media to get around the law.
When did the government moderate?
Try to understand:
government had used social media to get around the law.
You saying that does not prove anything.
The proof is right there in post 9.1.2
Was twitter coerced into censoring? Was twitter threatened to do bidding?
It was.
"Officials within the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services sent emails to employees at Facebook and Twitter to flag instances of alleged misinformation and provide talking points to counter allegedly false narratives spreading on the platforms. "
Emails Reveal Biden Administration Coordinated With Facebook, Twitter (dailysignal.com)
It doesn't take much for progressives to get on board with "the Biden team."
Obviously, Ender, there is no role for the government in censoring anything. So, we come right back to what you are resisting: The government got a story damaging to candidate Biden censored and later president Biden and his team got people and comments censored.
Those are the facts.
Twitter made their own decision. Biden was not president at the time of the laptop story.
You have shown no facts where the Biden administration forced comments to be censored. They can ask twitter to review and look at content, just like the republicans can.
No, he wasn't, but clearly the deep state wanted Biden to win and that's why 51 "former intelligence" officials said that the Biden Laptop looked like Russian disinformation. That's all it took for Twitter to quash a legitimate news story. Beyond that, the FBI spoke to Mark Zuckerberg over at Facebook about a possible Russian disinformation drop involving Hunter Biden just before the election:
Zuckerberg blames FBI for censoring The Post's Hunter Biden scoop (nypost.com)
So, there is plenty of evidence of the government going around the law to censor.
Deep state?....
Sorry but I would agree with them. They didn't know where the laptop came from and the weirdo from the repair shop went straight to Giuliani. Of course they are going to assume other things until they investigate.
I also read that twitter only censored the story for like 24 hours.
They had no evidence that it was fake,
And to add to their malfeasance in censoring a legitimate story weeks before an election they were given the laptop, which they recently claimed they lost. Since the election just about every media outlet has now admitted that Ya it was real.
They had no evidence that it was real at the time.
There was a leading democrat who should get some kind of award for honesty. He said what they did was wrong, but he was glad because it hurt Trump and to him it was a noble cause.
Deep state nonsense is all they have to cling to, desperately
The government telling them to squash it is the first indication that there is something there. Even if Geriatric Joe wasn't President, that's enough to raise some questions. But the dipshits at Twitter and Facebook just went along with it like good little Nazi's.
Who were the 51 "former intelligence officials?"
Brings back memories of that rancid piece of crap Harry Reid lying on the Senate floor, and when he got called out on it, He responded: We won didn't we? No integrity at all in democrat leadership.
Did you hear his Press Secretary?
No denial, "It's old news!"
You mean after he lied about Romney's taxes?
That's right. They brag about doing it and getting away with it.
So you admit that they can request yet it was up to the companies to decide...
Don't forget, she wasn't chosen on merit.
The government steps in business affairs all the time. Biden stepping in during the railroad workers strike, Biden "firing" pipeline workers and construction workers on the border...
Funny you missed that.
Reagan firing air traffic controllers...
Dude, you can't even keep your story straight.
Dude, what story?
As we all recall, it began when Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election and she announced "I'm now back to being an activist citizen and part of the resistance."
She also vowed to start a "resistance political action committee.
Yep, that’s the head of the snake right there.
We seem to have forgotten that for 4 years there was not only a resistance to Trump but an effort to overturn that election.
Not all of us.
Both the RNC and the DNC asked twitter to remove content.
It was based on who you knew at Twitter and there were a lot more DEMOCRATS working at Twitter than anything else.
Reaching there...
No reaching. "The Biden team" had the contacts:
Emails Reveal Biden Administration Coordinated With Facebook, Twitter (dailysignal.com)
All that shows is a government agency for heath wanted social media to step in and stop covid disinformation.
twitter and facebook still made their own choices.
That's not true Ender. They were censoring counter views, many of which turned out to be correct.
Counter views? Like taking horse medicine?
Sorry but if I ran twitter I would censor or label those tweets as misinformation myself.
Nope.
Like any medical expert questioning Dr Fauci:
Dr. Fauci sits for deposition in COVID-19 social media censorship case (nypost.com)
You've been given a lot of links to read today. I suggest you read them.
Read what...That some attorney general in Louisiana filled a lawsuit.
The talking points win over facts everyday,
They don't really win. People are reading this, and they get it.
Keep thinking this will go somewhere. Just more red meat for the base to chew on while they send in money.
The endless grifting and thuggish-ness and thievery from the right and trumpturd
What content did Twitter moderate to benefit Republicans and the RNC?
Ask them. The guy that released the files said both sides had requests and both sides had requests granted.
I’d like to see that but ...... won’t hold my breath
Some people should watch this and try and learn something
Ana Kasparian has star power and she nails this matter. If only the people who have louder voices would figure this out.
And some people should pull their heads out of their asses long enough to realize their gaslighting gig is up. Pucker up radical liberal buttercups. The pain you’ve had coming for some time is on it’s way.
Enjoy the ride.
First of all John, I saw the entire discussion between Carlson and Devine. She was interpreting the very first e-mails that Taibbi posted. Had that entire discussion been posted, you would have heard her say that the Zuckerberg relevations were far more informative. Devine had not yet formed an opinion of that first day's release of tweets.
BTW Devine isn't simply a New York Post Columnist: She is the one who broke the Hunter Biden laptop story only to see it censored on both Facebook and Twitter.
So when you watch these leftist story tellers, it might be best to check and see if they have their facts straight.
Mediate has a quick story about a segment from fox news.
Some republicans are split over this.