The Hunter Biden hearings begin with an eye on the interactions between Twitter and the federal government
Correspondent David Spunt reports on the heated hearing about Twitter's suppression of the New York Post's cover in October 2020 on "Special Report.'
Twitter owner Elon Musk claimed Wednesday that former Twitter Head of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth put "visibility filters" on elected officials’ accounts prior to leaving the social media company.
The comment was in response to Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley remarking on the House Oversight Committee hearing on Twitter’s role in suppressing the Hunter Biden story. Roth was among multiple former Twitter employees who were questioned on their role in potentially censoring a political story.
Turley reported, "Roth says that it would not surprise him if ‘visibility filters’ were placed on the accounts of elected officials without their knowledge."
Musk replied, "Since he placed many of them there himself, he would indeed not be ‘surprised’ lmao."
Elon Musk attacked former Twitter executives for their efforts to censor conservatives. (FOX)
The Twitter Files revealed the platform's practice of blacklisting, or "shadowbanning," certain tweets or accounts to limit their reach, which the company referred to as "visibility filtering.
Musk previously praised the efforts of the House Oversight Committee and attacked former Twitter executives such as Roth for their attempts to censor unfavorable opinions and stories.
"The Woke Stasi felt the heat today," Musk tweeted along with a fire emoji.
ELON MUSK TOUTS TWITTER EXECS GETTING GRILLED BY HOUSE GOP: ‘THE WOKE STASI FELT THE HEAT TODAY’
Various clips from the hearing went viral on social media, particularly following Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y., interaction with Roth. Rather than question Roth on his role in the story, the Democratic congresswoman attacked the hearing as a waste of time and taxpayer money.
"We could be talking about the cost of prescription drugs, abortion rights, civil rights, voting rights, but instead, we're talking about Hunter Biden's half-fake laptop story," she said. "I mean, this is an embarrassment, but I’ll go into it."
James Baker, former deputy general counsel at Twitter Inc., from left, Vijaya Gadde, former chief legal officer of Twitter Inc., Yoel Roth, former global head of trust and safety at Twitter Inc., and Anika Collier Navaroli, former employee at Twitter Inc., are sworn in during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. (Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
She also used her time to attack the Libs of TikTok Twitter account for sharing videos from Boston Children’s Hospital and revealing the hospital is taking part in gender transition surgeries. During the exchange, Roth expressed regret that the account still remains up on Twitter.
"And this account is still on that platform today, isn’t it?" Ocasio-Cortez asked.
"Regrettably, yes, it is," Roth answered.
JIM JORDAN FIRES BACK AFTER AOC ACCUSES REPUBLICANS OF ‘WEAPONIZING’ HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
House Republicans largely criticized and attacked Roth and his former Twitter colleagues for their alleged collusion with the government to censor conservatives.
"You, ladies and gentlemen, interfered with the United States of America 2020 presidential election, knowingly and willingly," Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La. said. "That’s the bad news, it’s gonna get worse because this is the investigation part. Later comes the arrest part. Your attorneys are familiar with that."
House Republicans grilled former Twitter executives over their alleged cooperation with the FBI to squelch the story of Hunter Biden's laptop, the opening salvo in their probe into the Biden family finances. (Getty Images)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., also blasted Roth for working to ban her from her account while allowing "child porn all over Twitter."
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"I’m so glad you lost your jobs. Thank God Elon Musk bought Twitter," Greene said.
Fox News' Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.