{"id":1783219,"date":"2022-12-21T17:26:18","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T22:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1783219"},"modified":"2022-12-21T18:04:03","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T23:04:03","slug":"musk-signals-support-for-congressional-probe-into-fbi-censorship-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musk-signals-support-for-congressional-probe-into-fbi-censorship-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Musk Signals Support for Congressional Probe Into FBI Censorship Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmusk-signals-support-for-congressional-probe-into-fbi-censorship-efforts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1783219&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Following the latest revelations from the \u201cTwitter Files,\u201d Twitter owner and CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-elon-musk\">Elon Musk<\/a> indicated on Dec. 20 that he would support a congressional investigation into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-fbi\">FBI<\/a>\u2019s alleged efforts to censor social media users.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, author Michael Shellenberger presented the seventh installment of the Twitter Files expos\u00e9, sharing internal documents from the social media company that he said described as an \u201corganized effort\u201d by intelligence officials to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/new-twitter-files-show-fbi-tried-to-discredit-information-about-hunter-biden-laptop_4932710.html?utm_source=ai&#038;utm_medium=search\">discredit leaked information<\/a> about Hunter Biden both before and after the New York Post published content from the younger Biden\u2019s laptop on Oct. 14, 2020, in the lead up to the presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>Commenting on those revelations on Tuesday, former PayPal COO David Sacks <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DavidSacks\/status\/1605237329039224839\">suggested<\/a> the creation of a \u201cnew Church Commission\u201d to investigate the alleged censorship initiatives of the FBI and intelligence community, referencing a congressional committee that investigated abuses of the intelligence community in the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>Musk, sharing that tweet, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1605247858030317568\">responded<\/a>, \u201cHear, hear!!\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Latest Revelations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In Monday\u2019s installment, Shellenberger delved into the reasons why Twitter had moved so quickly to censor The New York Post\u2019s \u201cexplosive\u201d story on Hunter Biden\u2019s business dealings, even though, as would later be confirmed, \u201cEvery single fact in it was accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Internal emails disclosed by Shellenberger showed that, in the weeks and months leading up to the 2020 election, Twitter was under increasing pressure from the FBI to report any evidence of foreign influence on the election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have seen a sustained (If uncoordinated) effort by the IC [intelligence community] to push us to share more info &#038; change our API policies,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShellenbergerMD\/status\/1604888429816209409\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">noted<\/a>\u00a0then-director of policy and philanthropy, U.S. and Canada, Carlos Monje Jr.,\u00a0in one exchange on Jan. 2, 2020. \u201cThey are probing &#038; pushing everywhere they can (including by whispering to congressional staff).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another revelation from Monday\u2019s disclosures was that by the end of September 2020, the FBI and Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShellenbergerMD\/status\/1604898437534691333\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">had<\/a> set up an encrypted messaging network for communications and had agreed to create a \u201cvirtual war room\u201d for the FBI and other intelligence agencies.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, emails revealed that between October 2019 and February 2021, the FBI <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShellenbergerMD\/status\/1604908670063906817\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">paid<\/a> Twitter employees more than $3.4 million for their time.<\/p>\n<p>Noting this, Musk directed a pointed inquiry at Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs (outgoing) Chair of House Intelligence, did you approve hidden state censorship in direct violation of the Constitution of the United States @RepAdamSchiff?\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1605254853692907521\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">asked<\/a> on Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI, however, is housed under the Executive Branch of the U.S. government.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Subpoenas Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Earlier this week, incoming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-house-intelligence-committee\">House Intelligence Committee<\/a> Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/fbi-faces-subpoenas-after-twitter-files-exposing-social-media-ties-house-republican_4932275.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">confirmed<\/a> that the committee intends to conduct an investigation into the intelligence community\u2019s alleged collusion with social media networks to censor the American public.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are definitely pursuing the Department of Justice and also the FBI,\u201d Turner said, noting that subpoenas would be issued as part of the probe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile we pursue the intelligence community to try to hold them accountable, while we\u2019re doing that, Elon Musk is showing what\u2019s happening on the other side with the willing partners, the mainstream media, social media, and really exposing coordination that was occurring between the FBI and them,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>According to Turner, one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-house-republicans\">House Republicans<\/a>\u2019 primary objectives will be to obtain and examine the FBI\u2019s \u201csecret files\u201d on its communications and coordination with social media companies.<\/p>\n<p>Adding that requests for such information have thus far been resisted by the FBI, the congressman said he found it particularly troubling that the bureau appeared to have misled companies into believing its efforts were intelligence-related when they were not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe FBI had, under the cover of saying they were pursuing foreign malign influence, had really exploded into activities that involved engaging with mainstream media and social media, and really impacting what is the normal debate of democracy,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<p>Turner further added that the committee would seek to uncover who had been coordinating the FBI\u2019s efforts and work to ensure it could never happen again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLuckily, the January 6 committee has established some great legal precedent that shows the Congress has full access,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, they\u2019re going to have very much a difficult time trying to prevent us [from] getting those documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Neither the Justice Department nor Rep. Adam Schiff\u2019s office immediately returned The Epoch Times\u2019 requests for comment. However, in a statement to Fox News, the FBI held that its leaked correspondence with Twitter merely showed examples of its \u201ctraditional, longstanding and ongoing federal government and private sector engagements, which involve numerous companies over multiple sectors and industries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs evidenced in the correspondence, the FBI provides critical information to the private sector in an effort to allow them to protect themselves and their customers,\u201d the statement continues. \u201cThe men and women of the FBI work every day to protect the American public. It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are feeding the American public misinformation with the sole purpose of attempting to discredit the agency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was updated to include a statement from the FBI.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-samantha-flom\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Samantha-Flom.jpg\" alt=\"Samantha Flom\"   style=\"display:none\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"bio\">Samantha Flom is a reporter for The Epoch Times covering U.S. politics and news. A graduate of Syracuse University, she has a background in journalism and nonprofit communications.<br \/>\nContact her at <a href=\"mailto:samantha.flom@epochtimes.us\">samantha.flom@epochtimes.us<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following the latest revelations from the \u201cTwitter Files,\u201d Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk indicated on Dec. 20 that he would support a congressional investigation into the FBI\u2019s alleged efforts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1721655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[9369,6962,5458,6371,4490,5564,5591,3682,4250,4083,3819,10070,3723],"class_list":["post-1783219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-for","tag-the","tag-bongino","tag-censorship","tag-congressional","tag-efforts","tag-fbi","tag-into","tag-musk","tag-probe","tag-report","tag-signals","tag-support"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1783219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1783219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1721655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1783219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1783219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1783219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}