Two Republican state attorneys general sued former Biden administration COVID czar Andy Slavitt, among other administration officials, adding them to an ongoing lawsuit alleging collusion between Big Tech and the Biden administration to suppress COVID-related speech online.
The new additions come amid a third-party subpoena of Twitter, YouTube and Meta, which the complaint credits for identifying a variety of White House and administration officials who were involved in the alleged censorship campaign. The states intend to file a motion requesting the deposition of “key defendants,” Republican Attorneys General Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Jeff Landry of Louisiana said in a statement Monday, announcing the amended complaint. (RELATED: Biden Admin Regularly Coordinated With Facebook, Twitter To Censor Users, Records Show)
Slavitt and a senior Meta executive were in regular contact to discuss suppression of COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook, the lawsuit alleges. Slavitt also allegedly pressured Twitter to ban vaccine and lockdown critic Alex Berenson on April 21, 2021.
Berenson has been criticized notably for his stance on vaccines, including claims that side effects are dangerous or more severe than flu shots. On July 11, 2021, Chief Medical Advisor to the President Anthony Fauci described a crowd cheering Berenson’s anti-vaccine comments at the Conservative Political Action Committee as “horrifying,” according to The Hill.
Included on the list of new defendants are top White House officials Andy Slavitt and Rob Flaherty and WH Counsel Dana Remus, FBI Section Chief for the Foreign Influence Task Force Laura Dehmlow, CDC Deputy Communications Director Kate Galatas, and other top-ranking officials.
— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) October 10, 2022
“Throughout this case, we have uncovered a disturbing amount of collusion between Big Tech and Big Government,” said Landry in the states’ press release. “This egregious attack on our First Amendment will be met with an equally full-hearted defense of the rights of the American people.”
Neither Slavitt nor the White House immediately responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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