Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has issued subpoenas to officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC).
The chairman hopes to obtain documents and communications related to the Committee’s investigation into allegations of federal government coercion and collusion with private companies and third-party groups to censor speech.
Recent public reporting, including The Twitter Files, has revealed the extent to which the federal government has exerted pressure and collaborated with Big Tech and other intermediaries to suppress certain viewpoints, a practice that violates the First Amendment principles.
On March 22, 2023, the Committee sent a letter to these agencies, requesting voluntary cooperation with the oversight investigation. However, the agencies have not produced any documents in response to the Committee’s requests so far.
The subpoenas were issued after the agencies failed to produce any documents in response to the Committee’s requests for voluntary cooperation with the oversight investigation.
Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) is leading the charge on this investigation, stating that, “The federal government’s coercion and collusion with private companies and third-party groups to censor speech is a direct attack on the First Amendment and must be fully investigated.”
The subpoenas seek to obtain documents and communications related to the Committee’s investigation into these allegations. This move by Chairman Jordan sends a strong message that the Committee will not tolerate any attempts by the federal government to infringe upon the constitutional rights of American citizens.
Many across the country have been increasingly concerned about the censorship of voices on social media platforms, with many accusing Big Tech companies of being biased against conservative views.
Jordan noted that the subpoenas are necessary because the agencies have failed to cooperate voluntarily with the Committee’s investigation, saying that “the agencies’ stonewalling is unacceptable, and we will use all the tools at our disposal to get to the bottom of this issue.”
The investigation into federal government coercion and collusion with private companies and third-party groups to censor speech is a critical issue that strikes at the very heart of the First Amendment. Chairman Jordan’s decision to issue subpoenas to these agencies shows that the Committee is committed to holding the federal government accountable and ensuring that the constitutional rights of American citizens are protected.
In the words of Chairman Jordan, “The American people deserve to know the truth about what’s going on here, and we will not rest until we have all the information we need to conduct a thorough investigation.”