Since acquiring Twitter in October, Musk has been on a free speech crusade, unblocking numerous accounts belonging to prominent conservative personalities, including former President Donald Trump, author Jordan Peterson, and satire news site The Babylon Bee.
He also announced his intent to release files that show the extent of the social media giant’s past efforts to censor political viewpoints.
“The Twitter Files on free speech suppression soon to be published on Twitter itself,” Musk tweeted, adding, “The public deserves to know what really happened.”
In a letter to Musk, Pfluger highlighted past efforts of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to suppress political speech and said it was done so with “deep ties and in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security.”
“This isn’t just a trend,” Pfluger wrote. “Unelected bureaucrats worked to undermine legitimate news in partnership with social media companies to suppress a New York Post article regarding Hunter Biden prior to the 2020 election.”
“This active collaboration with the would-be arbitrators of truth in the government continues to build on Twitter’s history of serious lapses in judgment related to the policing of speech, protection of user data, and even in international affairs given the company allowed the infiltration of foreign operatives into the firm.”
Pfluger referred to a New York Post story that reported a computer repair shop owner had a laptop belonging to then-presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. The article claimed the laptop included information regarding both Bidens’ financial dealings with foreign countries, including Ukraine and China.
Pfluger has indicated that he is monitoring the Biden laptop story closely, and he is part of a Republican-led plan set to launch investigations into the issue when the GOP assumes control of the House of Representatives in January.
Online censorship has become a hot topic in Texas politics since the 2020 election.
Texas lawmakers responded to the issue by passing House Bill (HB) 20, which prohibits technology companies from censoring users based on viewpoints.
After lengthy legal challenges, the law was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Fifth Circuit of Appeals.
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Matt Stringer
Matt Stringer is a reporter for The Texan who writes about all things government, politics, and public policy. He graduated from Odessa College with an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Leadership. In his free time, you will find him in the great outdoors, usually in the Davis Mountains and Big Bend region of Southwest Texas.
