'Deliberate abuse of power': Republicans erupt after bombshell Zuckerberg letter on COVID-19 censorship
House Republicans are claiming vindication after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted his company was pressured by the Biden-Harris administration to "censor certain COVID-19 content" during the pandemic.
"For too long, the Harris-Biden admin pressured social media companies to censor Americans' views online. This was a deliberate abuse of power to stifle free speech," Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the House GOP's campaign arm, said on X.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 Republican leader, said on the site, "Mark Zuckerberg's letter to [the House Judiciary Committee] leaves no room for doubt: this was an intentional assault on our First Amendment rights. This abuse of power must end now."
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Zuckerberg wrote to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, earlier this week that he wished he and his company had been more outspoken about government censorship concerns in 2021.
"Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we own our decisions, including COVID-19-related changes we made to our enforcement in the wake of this pressure," the billionaire Facebook founder said. "I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it."
Zuckerberg said the administration "repeatedly pressured our teams for months," though he noted, "We regularly hear from governments around the world and others with various concerns around public discourse and public safety."
Jordan has been conducting a monthslong investigation into whether the Biden administration colluded with social media companies to suppress free speech, something the White House has pushed back against.
But Republicans now say Zuckerberg's letter is proof their suspicions were correct.
"Zuckerberg admitted that the Biden-Harris regime pressured him to censor conservative voices. There must be accountability within the federal government," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., wrote on X.
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Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., said, "Wow. If it wasn’t glaringly obvious enough already (it was), Zuckerberg is now coming clean and admitting that Facebook censored information at the request of the Biden-Harris WH. It’s time to finally hold Big Tech accountable for their blatant censorship of conservatives."
"When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this administration encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety," the White House said of Zuckerberg's letter Tuesday.
"Our position has been clear and consistent: We believe tech companies and other private actors should take into account the effects their actions have on the American people, while making independent choices about the information they present."
Fox News' Kate Sprague contributed to this report.