Ranking Democrat Accuses ‘Twitter Files’ Reporters of Endangering Employees by Exposing Censorship

Representative Stacey Plaskett (D., Virgin Islands) ripped into Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger during a Thursday hearing on the Twitter Files, accusing the pair of journalists of endangering the lives of Twitter employees by exposing how the social-media platform partnered with various federal agencies to censor disfavored political views.

Plaskett, ranking member of the Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, used her allotted time during the first round of questioning to dismiss the witnesses’ concerns about the FBI and other federal agencies pressuring Twitter to take action against users who spread so-called “disinformation” on a variety of politically charged subjects. Instead of expressing outrage at the government’s role in censoring political speech, Plaskett attacked the witnesses for allegedly endangering Twitter employees by publishing their redacted internal communications.

“Mr. Chairman, I am not exaggerating when I say that you have called before you two witnesses who pose a direct threat to people who oppose them. It’s funny when people have to go through that? This is unacceptable,” Plaskett said, responding to laughter from committee chairman Jim Jordan.