House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has recently unveiled compelling documents that reveal efforts by Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration to influence Facebook’s content moderation, particularly targeting conservative voices.
Shortly after assuming office in January 2021, the Biden administration began exerting pressure on Facebook to limit the visibility of prominent conservatives on the platform.
The evidence presented by Jordan consists of meeting notes that were recently provided to Congress by Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
In addition to urging the censorship of conservative content, the Biden administration also pushed Facebook to amplify the reach of Democratic messaging from mainstream media outlets.
The newly disclosed documents demonstrate that Facebook repeatedly assured the White House of its commitment to restructure its platform to suppress conservative viewpoints.
Facebook employees acknowledged their compliance with the administration’s directives concerning content related to Covid vaccines, aligning with the administration’s policy objectives.
These meeting notes were initially reported by Just The News.
The documents chronicle discussions that occurred between then-White House Digital Director Rob Flaherty and Facebook executives in 2021.
During these discussions, the Biden administration official encouraged the tech giant to regulate content related to Covid vaccines, aiming to advance the administration’s stance.
In a meeting on April 14, 2021, Flaherty raised the possibility of modifying the platform’s algorithm to prioritize content from authoritative sources like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal over content from sources like The Daily Wire and conservative figure Tomi Lahren, whom he referred to as “polarizing.”
Flaherty’s query was made within the context of altering public perception of Covid vaccines, as indicated by the meeting notes.
The notes reveal that the Biden administration was concerned about vaccine-related “misinformation” on Facebook contributing to vaccine hesitancy among Americans, especially regarding mRNA vaccines.
“We have to explain to President, Ron, people, why there is misinfo on the internet, bigger problem than FB,” Flaherty was quoted as saying.
“Where issues are, what interventions are, how well they are working, for products, want to engage in things that you know to be effective.
“I don’t even care about specific methodology, you have better, richer data than we’ll ever have.”
“What are the things driving hesitancy on your platform?” Flaherty asked, according to the meeting notes.
“What is it? How big is the problem?
“When you are intervening, how are you measuring success?”
In the midst of the meeting, Flaherty expressed frustration over Facebook’s inability to provide certain desired data and urged the company to “play ball.”
“I feel like we’re running around in circles,” Flaherty is quoted as saying.
“Some partners give us lots of information, some partners tell us to f*** right off.
“This feels like we’re chasing our tails. If you don’t want to give information, just say that.
“I don’t want to feel like I’m going to a dog and pony show.
“My dream for FB to play ball. It’s about will we get out of this f***ing mess.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) also detailed the Biden administration’s collaboration with Facebook, specifically targeting conservative voices.
Jordan, who chairs the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, has been releasing information regarding the administration’s efforts to influence Facebook’s content moderation. In his recent statement, Jordan emphasized the administration’s focus on conservatives.
“The Biden White House wanted to control what you saw on Facebook,” Rep. Jordan wrote Thursday.
“They questioned whether Facebook could change its algorithm so users saw more posts from the New York Times and less from [The Daily Wire] and [Tomi Lahren].”
“Why did they do that?” he asked.
“Because they didn’t think you were smart enough to decide for yourself.”
The Biden White House’s effort to censor opposing viewpoints only grew.
So, they upped the pressure.
Flaherty demanded that Facebook “play ball” and work with the Biden White House on censorship.
He called it his “dream.” pic.twitter.com/J0Z2AhDx8m
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) August 3, 2023