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The First Amendment ensures that individuals can practice their faith with no interference from the government. It also gives people the freedom to express themselves and to speak out without fear of censorship. Additionally, the right to assemble peacefully and petition the government are both secured by this amendment.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
If you have been paying attention to Twitter and the “Twitter Files” these past few months thanks to Elon Musk, and now the House Oversight Committee’s Twitter Hearing, you might ask yourself, did the government overstep and violate American’s 1st Amendment right to speak freely?
The New York Post’s Hunter Biden Story
On October 14, 2020, The New York Post released a story titled, “Smoking-gun Email Reveals How Hunter Biden Introduced Ukrainian Businessman to VP Dad”. The information in the report was given to The Post by Rudy Giuliani, who had previously served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001.
In response, Twitter and Facebook quickly moved to restrict users from sharing the link to this story due to false accusations of it being part of a Russian disinformation attempt to interfere with the 2020 presidential election. Twitter cited its policies on hacking and private information while Facebook said that the story needed verification from independent fact-checkers before it could be shared.
Just five days later, 51 former intelligence officials signed a letter delivered to Politico claiming that data on Hunter’s hard drive had all the “classic earmarks” of a Russian disinformation operation – despite none of them have actually seen it. This played a significant role in suppressing The Post’s story in the lead-up to the final presidential debate of the election campaign.
Did Big Tech collude with the FBI to violate freedom of the press by censoring the New York Post’s story?
What were journalists and the MSM saying about Hunter Biden’s Laptop?
On October 22, 2020, Biden’s campaign advisor Symone Sanders bluntly stated that any attempts by then-President Donald Trump to amplify the story of Hunter and Joe Biden would be viewed as “Russian misinformation.” MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson said that it was “so obviously a Russian operation,” while CNN’s Brian Stelter highlighted how the emails could be made up and argued it was an example of a “right-wing media machine.” Jake Tapper also announced on CNN that right-wingers were going “crazy” with allegations about the Bidens.
Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent called the allegations “laughably weak” and The New York Times ran a story warning people about “Russian disinformation.” Similarly, Politico ran a story headlined, “Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo.”
At the same time, anyone who questioned this false narrative was blocked from posting or sharing links, shadow banned, or even suspended on social media platforms.
Did Big Tech collude with the FBI to violate American’s 1st Amendment right to speak freely?
Where Did Hunter Biden’s Laptop Come From?
In April 2019, a laptop believed to belong to Hunter Biden was dropped off at The Mac Shop, a computer repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware. Located just up the road from The Mac Shop is the Beau Biden Foundation, of which Hunter has been a board member since 2016. Nearby is one of the Delaware homes belonging to Joe Biden, a mere 12-minute drive away. After 90 days with no payment or contact from its owner, the laptop’s repairman contacted an unnamed intermediary who then alerted the FBI. In November 2019, the FBI made a forensic copy of the laptops and took them away, but not before the repairman was able to make his own copy of the hard drive. An agent then instructed him to inform Hunter that his laptops were in storage if he ever came back for them.
When no response came from either Congress members or law enforcement contacted by the intermediary after several months had passed, he got in touch with Rudy Giuliani’s attorney Robert Costello. Steve Bannon then revealed their existence in September 2020 and Giuliani gave them to The New York Post. In October 2020 both DOJ and FBI confirmed that it was not part of any Russian disinformation campaign but belonged to Hunter Biden after all.
#BREAKING: A senior federal law enforcement official tells @JakeBGibson
— Sean Langille (@SeanLangille) October 20, 2020
1) FBI & DOJ concur w/ Ratcliffe that Hunter Biden's laptop & the emails in question weren't part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
2) The FBI DOES have possession of the Hunter Biden laptop in question.
Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum was told by a federal law enforcement official that the emails were authentic and that “the laptop may have not been looked at right away when it was received.”
MORE: @marthamaccallum is told by a Federal Law Enforcement Official that the emails are “authentic.”
— Sean Langille (@SeanLangille) October 20, 2020
And that the laptop may have not been looked at right away when it was received.
In October 2020 Director of Intelligence John Ratcliffe said, “Let me be clear, the intelligence community doesn’t believe that because there is no intelligence that supports that and we shared no intelligence with chairman Schiff or any other member of Congress that Hunter Biden’s laptop is part of some Russian disinformation campaign. It is simply not true.”
Why Should We Be Concerned About Hunter Biden’s Laptop?
The laptop of Hunter Biden has been the subject of much debate and speculation lately, with some dismissing it entirely. But what exactly was on the laptop that sparked such concern? Recently released emails allegedly show Hunter thanking a Ukrainian business associate for arranging a meeting with his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, in April 2015 and urging him to use his “influence” in May 2014. This raises questions about the extent to which Joe Biden may have been compromised by the Ukraine matter and whether he is going above and beyond for them in recent months. Could the content of Hunter’s laptop be a cause for concern for our now President Joe Biden?
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee
On February 8, 2023, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held a hearing to question those involved with Twitter over allegations of collusion with the FBI to suppress an article about President Joe Biden’s son. During the hearing Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s former Chief Legal Office, and Yoel Roth, its former Head of Trust and Safety, both admitted that it was “wrong” and a “mistake” to temporarily block access to the story. This news comes after it was revealed that during Donald Trump’s presidency, the White House contacted Twitter to take down a tweet from user Chrissy Teigen calling him “a pussy ass bitch,” which was denied. However, requests by the “Biden Team” to take down Tweets have been granted.
Did Big Tech collude with the FBI to violate American’s 1st Amendment right to speak freely?
Let us know your thoughts.
