Steube, Comer Demand Balanced Investigation into Social Media’s Role in January 6 Violence at U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representatives Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and James Comer (R-Ky.) today sent a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) regarding her recent request to the FBI which called for an “examination” of the social media platform Parler for their possible connection to the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Representatives Steube and Comer ask that any investigations regarding social media platform roles on January 6th also include Twitter and Facebook.
“Casting blame on a single social media company known for its conservative user base is blatantly and overtly partisan,” Steube said. “All social media platforms should be investigated for any roles in organized violence – whether at the U.S. Capitol or over the summer in liberal cities across the country.”
The letter cites evidence of Facebook posts and private groups that were discovered to encourage the siege of the U.S. Capitol. It also cites research that mainstream social media companies actually profited off of the January 6th attack due to increased engagement on their platforms.
Maloney and other Congressional Democrats did not call for similar investigations into social media platforms during the violent riots that occurred in liberal cities throughout the summer and fall.
Steube has called for Big Tech accountability with his recent reintroduction of the CASE-IT Act, which would hold Big Tech companies accountable for unfair conservative censorship and promote free speech.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
