The Arizona House has launched an investigation into the censorship requests by Governor Katie Hobbs, including those revealed by Arizona Capitol Oversight, and those made by other state government officials.
House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria) created the panel late last week, enlisting Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) to serve as its chair. In what Kolodin called “an interesting coincidence,” the panel was created the same day Arizona Capitol Oversight released an 8 page report revealing several of Hobbs’ censorship requests to Facebook and Twitter, including one against a member of the Arizona Legislature.
Among Hobbs’ censorship requests is an email from November 2020 that asks Twitter to censor critics of a 2017 tweet in which Hobbs called Trump’s core voters part of a “neo-nazi” movement. Hobbs used her government email address to complain, “[t]he alt-right got a hold of a 3-year old tweet on my account and have been sending harassing, abusive, and threatening tweets and direct messages” when Twitter reportedly requested clarification.
In another request made that month, Hobbs asked Facebook to censor then-Representative Kelly Townsend, who had just been elected to the Arizona Senate. The request was ultimately denied by Facebook, reported Arizona Capitol Insights, with the platform determining that Townsend’s post was “not against our Community Guidelines.”
Arizona Capitol Insights founder Brian Anderson provided analysis on X, formerly Twitter, writing that Hobbs’ “censorship campaign” lasted two years, including through her gubernatorial campaign. Anderson previously handled press and research for former Republican Governor Doug Ducey, according to The Arizona Daily Star.
.@KatieHobbs's censorship campaign started in early 2020 and lasted through late 2022.
One of her targets was State Representative (and later State Senator) @AZKellyT, who was engaged in legislative oversight of Hobbs's office at the time. (2/4)https://t.co/hd0oDOCxXQ pic.twitter.com/HKSGbbCwrm
— Brian Anderson (@AZBrianAnderson) August 10, 2023
Underscoring the fortuitous nature of the timing, Kolodin told the outlet his panel was being planned “for months.” In a press release, Kolodin called the panel an “opportunity” to fight for the First Amendment, which he called “an American’s highest calling.” The committee will hold its first public meeting on September 5.
He also acknowledged to the outlet that both Democrats and Republicans would likely be tempted to censor their opponents.
Kolodin added that no states have conducted “a really comprehensive legislative investigation” into how to “protect the First Amendment in this new age of machine learning and neural networks and algorithms that decide what people are served online.”
Hobbs both defended her previous actions and mocked the formation of the panel, according to audio broadcast on KJZZ 91.5 FM. “I’m glad we’ve solved water, the housing crisis, and fixed public education,” said Hobbs, adding, “and have time for this sideshow.”
The governor turned the focus to Trump’s 2017 statements regarding civil unrest over a monument in Charlottesville according to Capitol Media Services, which added that Hobbs claimed her reports were the same as “any other person who is harassed on Twitter.”
Hobbs’ emails were released amid increased public focus on censorship due to Missouri v. Biden, the lawsuit alleging the federal government violated the First Amendment with its censorship requests. An order was recently issued prohibiting government officials from issuing censorship requests to social media companies, with the judge finding the federal government “likely violated the First Amendment by censoring unfavorable views on social media.”
Kolodin recently previewed forthcoming action from the Arizona House when Attorney General Kris Mayes joined a coalition of attorneys general seeking to uphold the government’s ability to censor citizens, calling the government’s decision to label certain speech dangerous “the first move of tyrants” and promising the legislators “will be taking a very close look” at the decision.
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Tom Pappert is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Tom on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Gov. Katie Hobbs” by Gov. Katie Hobbs.
