Representative Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, attended a press conference with members of the GOP Doctors Caucus following a meeting of the Republican Conference of the US Capitol House of Representatives on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.
Tom Williams CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
A group of 18 Republicans in the House of Representatives has asked the Twitter board to keep all records of Elon Musk’s offer to buy the company, preparing a potential congressional inquiry if the party regains a majority this fall.
In letters shared exclusively with CNBC, Republicans in the House Judiciary Committee asked Twitter Board Chairman Brett Taylor and other board members to keep all messages from official or personal accounts, including encryption-related software. from Twitter on Musk’s proposal.
As Congress continues to study High Technology and how best to protect Americans’ freedom of speech, this letter serves as a formal request to retain all records and materials related to Musk’s offer to buy Twitter, including reviewing and Twitter’s response to that offer, and Twitter’s assessment of its shareholders’ interests in Musk’s proposal, “said in a letter led by ranking member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
“You must interpret this conservation notice as an instruction to take all reasonable steps to prevent the destruction or alteration, intentionally or negligently, of all documents, communications and other information, including electronic information and metadata, that is or may be potentially responsive to this congressional inquiry, “the letter continued.
The request signals that if Republicans regain a majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 by-elections, they could launch an investigation on Twitter, especially if the company refuses to accept the offer from Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Under the control of Republicans, the House Judiciary Commission may decide to request records of the board’s internal deliberations.
This is not the first time Twitter has caught the attention of Republican lawmakers.
The platform has become a focal point for some conservative members who accuse Twitter of unfairly removing or moderating posts for ideological reasons. Twitter has denied doing so, saying it is setting standards based on its community guidelines.
In a letter to Taylor on Friday, lawmakers wrote: “Decisions on the future governance of Twitter will undoubtedly be relevant to public discourse in the United States and could lead to renewed legislative efforts to support the preservation of free expression online. Among other things, the reactions on board to Elon Musk’s offer to buy Twitter and the opposition of outsiders against Musk’s role in the future of Twitter are worrying. “
Twitter also became the focus of Republican criticism in October 2020 when it blocked links to a New York Post story alleging that Joe Biden’s son Hunter, while his father was vice president, tried to portray his father of the CEO of a Ukrainian company, which he worked for. A spokesman for Biden’s presidential campaign said during the publication of the story that such a meeting never took place and that the Post “never asked Biden’s campaign about the critical elements of this story.”
At the time, Twitter said it had blocked links to the story because it violated its hacked materials policy and included personal information such as email addresses, also violating its policies. Then-CEO Jack Dorsey later said it was “wrong” to block links to the story, and said Twitter was updating its policy to reflect that. The ordeal escalates criticism on the right on Twitter, many of whom believe the company has unfairly blocked history for ideological reasons.
A Twitter spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Here are the letters to the board members on Twitter:
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