Senate Panel Subpoenas Zuckerberg And Dorsey Over Post Censorship Claims
The Senate Judiciary Committee votes to subpoena the CEOs of Facebook and Twitter to testify about their platforms' handling of a controversial New York Post story. The move marks another effort by lawmakers to drag tech leaders to Capitol Hill.
The Senate Judiciary Committee votes to issue subpoenas for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey over the platforms' handling of a controversial New York Post story. Republicans on the committee push for the hearing after the social networks limit the spread of a dubious article about Hunter Biden. Lawmakers frame the action as censorship, ignoring the questionable provenance of the data that even other news outlets declined to publish.
Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham outlines a three-part focus for the upcoming hearing, specifically targeting the suppression of the New York Post articles. The inquiry also examines broader content moderation practices that potentially influence federal elections and policies that temporarily reduce the distribution of material pending fact-checker review. This hearing runs parallel to a separate Senate Commerce Committee session that already secures testimony from the same tech executives.
The Judiciary Committee has not yet scheduled the hearing, and the companies do not publicly agree to attend. However, the successful use of subpoena power by the Commerce Committee earlier in October establishes a clear precedent for compelling testimony from reluctant tech leaders. As a result, it becomes increasingly difficult for some of the world's most powerful executives to avoid answering questions under oath before Congress.