Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan wrote dissenting views about Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline’s antitrust report on behalf of House Judiciary Republicans. The document, exclusively obtained in advance by Daily Caller, will be published in Cicilline’s report once it’s officially printed.
The House Judiciary Committee passed Cicilline’s report on April 15 accusing Big Tech companies, such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook of holding “monopoly power” over smaller firms in a 24-17 party-line vote, Reuters reported. The report, which was released in October, is the first congressional review of the tech industry calls on massive changes to antitrust law.
However, Republicans say the report does not go far enough or address any of their concerns.
Among Jordan’s chief complaints was that Republicans were excluded from drafting the report and that not one single Republican voted for it.
“Americans cannot trust Democrats to address a problem—Big Tech’s systemic bias and abuse against conservatives—that Democrats seek to embolden,” Jordan writes in the document.
Jordan also said the Democrat’s report did not address Big Tech’s “existential threat to freedom of speech and freedom of thought.”
“[T]his staff report is a document prepared exclusively by Democrats who fundamentally refuse to believe that Big Tech is systemically biased against conservatives,” Jordan said.
READ THE OBTAINED DOCUMENT HERE:
Daily Caller Obtained: Jim … by Henry Rodgers
Subcommittee chairman Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) speaks during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law hearing on regulation and competition in news media industry on March 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“All options to rein in Big Tech’s abuses must be on the table,” he said.
The document also criticizes Democrats for voting against an amendment calling to break up Big Tech and for ignoring calls to reform or get rid of Section 230, which is the portion of law that gives internet companies immunity from lawsuits over content that users post to their sites. (RELATED: Seven House Republicans Pledge To Deny Donations From Big Tech Companies)
“Overhauling section 230 would help to hold Big Tech accountable for its biases,” Jordan said.
“[C]onservatives should continue to advance proposals that protect the values that undergird the First Amendment. And they should continue to fight Democrat policies that will lead to more censorship and further suppress free speech,” Jordan continued in the document. (RELATED: Democratic Lawmaker Lowers Mask To Sneeze Into Hand, Video Shows)
The Daily Caller contacted Cicilline’s office about Jordan’s dissenting views, to which they did not immediately respond.