Former Twitter Deputy Legal Counsel James Baker told the US House Oversight Committee in a hearing on Wednesday that he is not aware of any unlawful collusion between Twitter and government or political officials regarding the platform's suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2023) Former Twitter Deputy Legal Counsel James Baker told the US House Oversight Committee in a hearing on Wednesday that he is not aware of any unlawful collusion between Twitter and government or political officials regarding the platform's suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story.
"To be clear, I did not act unlawfully or otherwise inappropriately in any manner with respect to Hunter Biden's laptop computer," Baker said in a statement. "Moreover, I am aware of no unlawful collusion with, or direction from, any government agency or political campaign on how Twitter should have handled the Hunter Biden laptop situation."
Baker testified to the oversight panel alongside other former Twitter officials including ex-Chief Legal Officer Vijaya Gadde and ex-Global Trust and Safety Head Yoel Roth. The hearing centered on Twitter's role in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story ahead of the 2020 US presidential election.
The hearing is part of a larger series by the committee on protecting speech from government interference and social media bias. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer alleges that big tech companies colluded with political and government officials to censor reporting on potential influence peddling by the Biden family.
"Americans deserve answers about this attack on the First Amendment and why Big Tech and the Swamp colluded to censor this information about the Biden family selling access for profit. Accountability is coming," Comer said in a statement on the hearing.
The committee's probe comes amid the release of so-called Twitter Files revealing the extent of engagement between Twitter personnel and government officials on moderation decisions. Reforms to Twitter's free speech and account suspension policies have since begun under new CEO Elon Musk, who acquired the company last year.
