Rep. Jim Jordan warns White House of subpoenas for social media censorship.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Threatens to Subpoena White House Over Alleged Collusion with Social Media Companies

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has taken a strong stance against the alleged collusion between the White House and social media companies to suppress Americans’ free speech. In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, Jordan demanded records on how the executive branch coerced and colluded with companies to censor speech. The request comes as Jordan’s committee has been investigating allegations that the Biden administration pressured Big Tech to suppress dissenting views.

Jordan’s panel had previously asked the White House for information on its relationships with private sector entities, but the request was declined. Jordan dismissed the argument that the panel should seek the information from executive branch agencies, emphasizing that some of the materials sought are unique to the Executive Office of the President (EOP). In his letter, Jordan reiterated the request and gave Zients until June 29 to comply, warning that the committee may resort to compulsory process if necessary.

Jordan stated that there is already extensive evidence pointing to the White House’s involvement in urging and directing social media companies to impose viewpoint-based censorship. He believes that additional material exists in the EOP’s custody and control that would shed light on the nature and extent of this censorship scheme.

The White House has not yet provided a comment on the matter.

Earlier Subpoenas

Jordan, along with the “weaponization” subcommittee, is investigating the alleged violation of the civil liberties of American citizens. Documents obtained from Twitter’s internal files and produced in a lawsuit against the federal government have revealed regular contact between federal agencies and Big Tech companies. These communications primarily focused on combating mis- and disinformation and included requests to crack down on specific users.

In April, Jordan sent subpoenas to several top Biden administration officials, including the directors of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), as well as an official at the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC). Jordan expressed concern over the inadequate response to requests for records of communication between these agencies and social media platforms.

Jordan emphasized the importance of freedom of speech and the need to investigate the collusion between the federal government and Big Tech, which undermines First Amendment principles.