Watchdog Slams White House for Attempts to Stifle Speech on Social Media

Yesterday, The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) issued the below statement in response to the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s comments on the administration attempting to control speech on social — a First Amendment concern and clear abuse of government power. 

For Immediate Release                                                                                               Contact: Courtney Mattison   (202-525-7492) 

July 15, 2021                                                                                             

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is appalled at White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki comments that the Biden Administration is tracking and flagging social media posts with the goal of pressuring the platforms to remove content. Social media companies are under intense government scrutiny, including lawsuits, and it raises First Amendment and ethical concerns for the White House to be targeting private businesses in this manner. Lawmakers should be cautious of antitrust proposals that would embolden these abuses of government powers.

TPA Vice President of Policy Patrick Hedger stated “The comments of White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki raise obvious First Amendment concerns. Facebook is free to host or not host whatever speech it wants, including its efforts to combat misinformation. Facebook and any other media companies are free to refer to government resources in their efforts to combat misinformation. However, this street should only run one way. It is highly-questionable, at best, for the government to initiate this process and flat-out unacceptable for the government to do so while simultaneously threatening a company with regulations and lawsuits, including the active antitrust litigation against Facebook.

Hedger went on to say, “The Biden administration’s actions are why conservatives should be extremely cautious in giving government more power through antitrust because government power is inevitably abused.”

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Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy.