Reporter says Schiff tried to get him banned from Twitter
Journalist Paul Sperry discusses the Twitter Files and gives his take on classified documents being kept at a private office of President Biden's think tank.
A reporter indicated that he may sue Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., after internal documents at Twitter revealed the Democrat tried to get him banned from the platform.
Elon Musk and journalist Matt Taibbi’s "Twitter Files" entry last week revealed that Schiff lobbied Twitter to suspend journalist Paul Sperry from the social media site in November 2020.
Sperry, a senior reporter for RealClearInvestigations.com and a New York Post columnist, told Fox's Brian Kilmeade that he was targeted by Schiff because of his reporting on Democrat sources in President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., left, and former President Donald Trump (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/File | Brandon Bell/Getty Images/File)
"So, Schiff didn't like the fact I outed his anonymous whistleblower as a partisan Democrat — he's a holdover from the Obama White House working in the Trump White House. And [Schiff] also didn't like the fact that I exposed the whistleblower's prior relationship with the key member of Schiff's impeachment staff," Sperry said.
"So, I was kind of a thorn in Schiff's side, and he was angry," he continued.
The journalist called it "outrageous" that the powerful Democrat would try to "silence" the press.
"My stories went viral on Twitter, and he tried to silence me and remove content, which is outrageous censorship by a powerful government official. He was the head of the House Intelligence [Committee] at the time, and he was sworn to protect the First Amendment and free speech and the press," he told Kilmeade.
In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., holds redacted documents as he speaks during the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump, Jan. 22, 2020. (Senate Television via AP)
10 UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT BIDEN'S CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
Sperry revealed that Twitter had never given him a legitimate reason for his suspension, even though he argued he hadn't broken any of the company's rules.
He said Schiff's interference affected his ability to do his job for two years, and he is looking at taking legal action.
"We are exploring legal options, including defamation," he told Kilmeade.
The reporter also reacted to the news that then-Vice President Joe Biden stored classified documents the Penn Biden Center for more than half a decade, saying there was a "double standard" for Biden compared to Trump.
Fox News Digital contacted Rep. Schiff's office for comment but has not heard back.
Fox News' Gabriel Hayes contributed to this report.