These EXECUTIVES Have A Lot Of Explaining To Do!

(USNewsMag.com) – Former Twitter executives were grilled by Congress over the company’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story first published by the New York Post in 2020. Initially, the platform suspended the paper’s account and blocked users’ ability to share the story on their platform.

Jim Baker, former deputy general counsel for Twitter claimed he did not remember “speaking to the FBI at all about the Hunter Biden matter.”

The Committee Chairman, James Comer, accused Twitter and other social media platforms of being hostile to free speech and expression and described those values as being fundamental to Americans.

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability brought both former Twitter employees and Former FBI officials to testify regarding their actions which lead to the suppression of the story. Voters have indicated through polling data that had they known the information on the laptop was genuine, it would have affected who they voted for. According to one poll, 17% would not have voted for Joe Biden, potentially changing the results of former President Donald Trump’s reelection bid.

Yoel Roth claimed that Twitter thought the laptop story was Russian disinformation and that the proliferation of a phony story could impact the election. He said that with the limited information Twitter had at the time, it “made a mistake.”

Vijaya Gadde who was head of Twitter Trust and Safety at the time the Hunter Biden laptop story first broke took little blame for the unjust suppression of the story, claiming that her responsibilities “required tough judgment calls,” and that if the platform realizes something they have done did not have the desired results, they update their rules. She justified the decision based on Twitter’s policy against posting hacked materials, claiming the New York Post story showed images that seemed likely to have been the result of a hack.

The White House dismissively referred to the committee as a political stunt, calling it “bizarre,” and implying it was led by “extreme MAGA members.”