A reporter has fired back after it emerged that Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) office tried to get him suspended from Twitter.
Schiff’s office demanded to have content related to reporter Paul Sperry removed from Twitter.
However, many have pointed out that the move from an elected official is as clear a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The effort from Schiff was exposed in the latest installment of the “Twitter Files,” as Slay News reported earlier.
Independent journalist Matt Taibbi posted a Nov. 20, 2020, email from Schiff’s office.
In the email, Schiff’s office demanded that Twitter suppress perfectly legal wrongthink on the social media platform.
“They also received an astonishing variety of requests from officials asking for individuals they didn’t like to be banned,” Taibbi writes.
“Here, the office for Democrat and House Intel Committee chief Adam Schiff asks Twitter to ban journalist Paul Sperry.”
Twitter, at least initially, told Schiff to pound sand saying, “we don’t do this.”
Schiff’s office tried to justify this request by falsly claiming that Sperry was promoting “QAnon conspiracies.”
Sperry fired back at the false allegation, saying: “I have never promoted any ‘QAnon conspiracies.’
“Ever. Not on Twitter. Not anywhere.
“Schiff was just angry I outed his impeachment whistleblower and tried to get me banned.
“I challenge Schiff to produce evidence to back up his defamatory remarks to Twitter.
“This is a scurrilous smear, but par for the course for the unscrupulous Chairman Schiff.
“Looks like Schiff’s office initially got friction from Twitter gatekeepers.
“Still, I was banned just a few months after this ‘request.’
“Were there subsequent demands from Schiff?” he added.
“May explain why Twitter would never give me a reason for banning me.”
Taibbi wrote:
“We can give you everything we’re seeing from the FBI and USIC agencies,” Chan explained, but the DHS agency CISA “will know what’s going on in each state.”
He went on to ask if industry could “rely on the FBI to be the belly button of the USG.”
Twitter was taking requests from every conceivable government body, beginning with the Senate Intel Committee (SSCI), which seemed to need reassurance Twitter was taking FBI direction. Execs rushed to tell “Team SSCI” they zapped five accounts on an FBI tip.
Requests arrived and were escalated from all over: from Treasury, the NSA, virtually every state, the HHS, from the FBI and DHS, and more.
They also received an astonishing variety of requests from officials asking for individuals they didn’t like to be banned.
Here, the office for Democrat and House Intel Committee chief Adam Schiff asks Twitter to ban journalist Paul Sperry.
“WE DON’T DO THIS”
Even Twitter declined to honor Schiff’s request at the time.
Sperry was later suspended, however.
Adam Schiff, have you ever heard of the state action doctrine? How private companies cannot be directed by government to do what is constitutionally forbidden from doing, a.k.a. violating the first amendment? https://t.co/FuUe40VMv2
— Matthew M. (@EconInOneLesson) January 3, 2023
28.“WE DON’T DO THIS” Even Twitter declined to honor Schiff’s request at the time. Sperry was later suspended, however. pic.twitter.com/9PX2Zw5Nzj
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 3, 2023
