Republicans Abruptly Call Off Mark Zuckerberg Contempt-of-Congress Vote After Major Development
A House committee called off a vote Thursday on a recommendation that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg be held in contempt of Congress for failing to fully supply documents related to an investigation into alleged censorship by tech companies of conservatives.
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican and chair of the Judiciary Committee, posted on social media shortly before the committee was to meet that, “Based on Facebook’s newfound commitment to fully cooperate with the Committee’s investigation, the Committee has decided to hold contempt in abeyance. For now.”
Jordan added that contempt is still on the table and would be used if “Facebook fails to cooperate in FULL.”
If the committee had moved forward, it would have been up to GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California to hold a full House vote on the contempt resolution as early as this fall, after the August recess.
THIS IS A GREAT POINT BY PROF TURLEY.
Musk **voluntarily** handed internal Twitter records & documents proving illegal gov’t censorship & threats directed at Twitter & its staff to Congress & to journalists, publicly stating HE HAD PURCHASED A CRIME SCENE.
Zuckerberg had to be… https://t.co/L3qim6MpQq
— Brian Cates – Political Columnist & Pundit (@drawandstrike) July 27, 2023
If the House were to hold Zuckerberg in contempt, the Justice Department would decide whether to prosecute him.
Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, has said the company has delivered more than 50,000 pages of both internal and external documents to the committee since February.
He added that they also have made current and former employees available for interviews with lawmakers.
But the committee said Meta has produced only documents between Meta and external entities, and a small subset of relevant internal documents.
Mark Zuckerberg has brazenly defied a Congressional subpoena concerning his role in sabotaging our democracy and 1st Amendment. Congress must proceed with contempt. And a note for Mr. Zuckerberg: it’s a 5 year statute of limitations on defying a subpoena. Garland can’t save you. https://t.co/K4ofPGqX8k
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) July 27, 2023
It’s seeking more internal company documents, which it said would shed light on how Meta evaluated and responded to requests or directives to censor content.
Democrats are skeptical of Jordan’s effort.
Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said shortly before Jordan’s announcement that “it doesn’t seem to have any basis in facts or reality, but that’s consistent with what the Judiciary Committee has done during this Congress.”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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