Republican Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs wrote a Wednesday letter to President Joe Biden demanding answers from the White House regarding their work with Facebook to flag posts deemed disinformation.
Biggs was joined by twelve other House Republicans, who signed the letter. In it, they mention the White House’s “tyrannical decision” to monitor and flag Facebook posts of U.S. citizens. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced Thursday that the White House is working with Facebook to flag disinformation on vaccines and that it is also asking Facebook to share data on the reach and engagement of posts that have been deemed disinformation.
“We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation,” Psaki said in the briefing.
The lawmakers called the news “abhorrent to all freedom- loving Americans.” Adding, that it “is antithetical to America’s founding and is more in line with the authoritarian regimes in Russia, China, and Cuba. You must immediately stop these actions and fire all federal employees who worked with Facebook to implement this policy.” (RELATED: White House Is Working With Facebook To Flag ‘Disinformation,’ Psaki Says)
In the letter, they ask Biden a list of questions and ask for a response by August 1.
Here are the questions they ask Biden:
- Who in the federal government has been working with Facebook to monitor Americans’ speech?
- What steps are you taking to terminate the employment of those responsible for such a tyrannical policy?
- What criteria is the White House or the Federal Government using when determining if a post spreads misinformation?
- Are you creating a list of those whose speech differs from yours?
- Do you believe speech can kill people?
- What types of speech kill people?
- Do you believe the government can regulate hate speech or misinformation?
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
“Monitoring and censoring the American people is antithetical to what this country stands for. The government is not the arbiter of truth and has no right teaming itself with Big Tech to filter and manipulate political narratives they disagree with. The Biden administration is leading this country down a road where only government propaganda is acceptable and free and open debate is banned,” Biggs told the Daily Caller.
“I condemn the move to an authoritarian regime by the Biden presidency. The use of private business as an agent of the state is a hallmark of fascism and Marxism,” Biggs added. (RELATED: REPORT: Facebook Executive Blasts White House, Claims Biden Uses Platform As ‘Scapegoat’ For Vaccine Hesitancy)
The Daily Caller contacted the White House about the letter to which they did not immediately respond.