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Twitter Files: Adam Schiff's office asked 'quite often' to remove tweets, including parody Biden pic
By Brian Flood, Joseph Wulfsohn
Published January 13, 2023
A new batch of Twitter Files on Friday continues to put a harsh spotlight on Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and his office's frequent requests that the social media juggernaut ban unfavorable content.
Journalist Matt Taibbi indicated that Schiff’s staff asked Twitter "quite often" to take down damning tweets. Last week, a separate batch of Twitter Files revealed similar requests by Schiff's office. An example he shared was one sent in November 2020 by Schiff's office, who contacted Twitter hoping the tech giant would take action regarding "alleged harassment from QAnon conspiracists" against Schiff's staff, including aide Sean Misko. The latest batch indicates Schiff's office even fought to have unflattering pictures removed.
"This important use of taxpayer resources involved an ask about a ‘Peter Douche’ parody photo of Joe Biden. The DNC made the same request," Taibbi wrote, proving evidence.
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Journalist Matt Taibbi indicated that Rep Adam Schiff’s staff asked Twitter "quite often" to take down damning tweets. (Screenshot/ABC/TheView)
Taibbi wrote the "real issue was Donald Trump retweeted" the unflattering Biden photo.
"To its credit Twitter refused to remove it, with Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth saying it had obvious ‘humorous intent’ and ‘any reasonable observer’ - apparently, not a Schiff staffer - could see it was doctored," Taibbi wrote.
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But Schiff staffer's "didn't give up" and continued to urge Twitter to remove the photo.
"Twitter also refused requests for bans of content about Schiff and his staff, e.g. ‘complete suppress[ion of] any and all search results about Mr. Misko and other Committee staffers.’ Twitter said this would not be ‘conceivable,’" Taibbi wrote.
Schiff’s staff also asked for a variety of other content to be removed from Twitter.
"Twitter policy at the time didn’t ban QAnon, but ‘deamplified’ such accounts. About the batch of tweets that included those above, Twitter execs wrote: ‘We can internally confirm that a number of the accounts flagged are already included in this deamplification,’" Taibbi wrote.
But Schiff's office had concerns about "deamplification," too.
"Twitter had no editorial input. Searches were carried out by third parties, so the documents could be limited," Taibbi wrote to conclude his thread.
Journalist Matt Taibbi released another batch of Twitter Files on Friday that puts a harsh spotlight on Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. ((AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Elon Musk has been vocal about being transparent when it comes to Twitter's past and present actions curating content on the platform, including censored content. The Twitter owner has enlisted independent journalists to slowly release evidence of these actions in a series dubbed the "Twitter Files" that continue to expose once-secret communications.
Last week's edition also indicated that Schiff's office requested that Twitter "stop the spread of future misinformation on Twitter" regarding committee staff and "label and reduce the visibility of any content."
Schiff's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
It was also revealed last week that Schiff lobbied Twitter to suspend journalist Paul Sperry from the social media site in November 2020. Sperry, a senior reporter for RealClearInvestigations.com and a New York Post columnist, told Fox's Brian Kilmeade that he was targeted by Schiff because of his reporting on Democrat sources in President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial.
"My stories went viral on Twitter, and he tried to silence me and remove content, which is outrageous censorship by a powerful government official. He was the head of the House Intelligence [Committee] at the time, and he was sworn to protect the First Amendment and free speech and the press," he told Kilmeade. "We are exploring legal options, including defamation."
Previous Twitter Files have covered a wide range of topics, including the company's suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 presidential election; the internal pressure it faces to permanently ban former President Donald Trump; efforts by the White House and government officials to suppress content; and the existence of shadow-banning of prominent conservatives.
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Fox News' Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/twitter-files-adam-schiffs-office-asked-quite-often-remove-tweets-including-parody-biden-pic