Congress and First Amendment supporters have condemned the Twitter Files recently after it came out that government agencies colluded with social media companies to censor information on controversial topics that went against the government’s position. A federal judge in July barred the federal government from communicating with social media companies after two Republican attorneys general sued, but now some Democratic attorneys general, including Arizona’s Kris Mayes, are joining the lawsuit in support of the government.
The litigation arose from a lawsuit the Missouri and Louisiana attorneys general filed alleging collusion between the government and social media companies.
Mayes, along with 20 other attorneys general, filed an amicus curiae brief led by New York Attorney General Letitia James on July 28, defending the collaboration as responding to “the dangers that the spread of harmful content on social media platforms may pose to public health and safety.”
The brief specifically listed “election integrity” as a topic that is one of the “matters within the unique expertise of state governments.” It described “election misinformation” as part of “the proliferation of harmful content.”
The brief praised Massachusetts and Connecticut for reporting election misinformation to Twitter.
The attorneys general argued that instead of the collusion suppressing speech, it was the reverse.
“[T]he district court significantly restricted the flow of public discourse on vitally important issues,” the attorneys general said.
They praised the government, “The federal government, like the amici States, has an essential role to play in contributing to the marketplace of ideas.”
Much of the brief discussed the harm social media does to children but didn’t explain how the topics targeted by the censorship — election misinformation, COVID-19, criticism of President Joe Biden, etc. — harm children. The example of COVID-19 misinformation cited in the brief wasn’t about suppressing objections to the government shutdowns, vaccine, and masks, but price gouging related to the pandemic.
The attorneys general said the injunction would undermine efforts “to ensure that social media is safe and secure for all users.”
State Representative Alex Kolodin (R-Scottsdale), an election attorney, said the House “will be taking a very close look” at Mayes’ move, and that “[l]abeling speech dangerous and calling for it to be suppressed is the first act of tyrants.”
Bryan Blehm, an attorney representing Kari Lake in her gubernatorial election loss challenge, tweeted about the filing.
“Those elected by #Fraud (AZ, AG @krismayes @katiehobbs @JoeBiden ) are the First to call for #Censorship,” he said. “Anyone challenging their Selection Status is considered ‘Dangerous,’ not because they’re a danger to the community but because they’re a danger to people learning the truth about them & the Fact that they were Never Truly Elected! Your federal government has been working with your local government to silence your political free speech, to ensure you have NO ACCESS to Real Information other than what they want you to hear. This is a VIOLENT ASSAULT on your #LIBERTIES as a Free Person!!”
Blehm said, “It would appear the federal government has decided to take over & may be offering some things of fairly Lucrative Value to our AZ Local Government Officials to Induce them to Comply in the Theft of Your Constitutional Rights & Liberties Granted to You by GOD!!”
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) is conducting hearings about the collusion.
He is investigating the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a British nonprofit group with an affiliated U.S. nonprofit, demanding records that could detail the extent of its White House-linked efforts targeting the First Amendment, according to a letter Jordan sent to the center on Thursday.
Twitter, recently renamed to X Corp., filed a lawsuit on Monday against the CCDH, accusing the group of making false claims resulting in censorship.
X Corp. owner Elon Musk tweeted, “Center for Censorship, Disinformation and Hate! That’s what they actually do.” In response to a user stating that the public deserves to know who’s funding the CCDH, Musk responded, “We will find out when those donors testify under penalty of perjury.”
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Kris Mayes” by Kris Mayes.
