Congresswoman Warns Reporter Matt Taibbi of Possible Jail Time

Twitter Files reporter Matt Taibbi received a letter from Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) requesting him to correct a testimony to avoid facing prison time.

The Details: Taibbi, who appeared as a Republican witness in front of Congress’ Weaponization of the Federal Government committee, received the letter earlier this week, as reported by Lee Fang. The letter has drawn harsh criticism from several journalists, including Glenn Greenwald, Brian Stelter, and Ryan Grim. As a non-voting member of the House of Representatives, Plaskett represents the Virgin Islands in the House, but can't vote on legislation.

For Context: During the testimony, Plaskett referred to Taibbi as a “so-called journalist” which sparked media coverage. Plaskett suggested Taibbi correct testimonial errors that MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan accused Taibbi of making in an on-air interview. Fang disputed the errors the day after the program aired, and insisted Taibbi’s testimony was correct. Taibbi received an unexpected visit from the IRS the day before testifying, which he told Newsmax he was “inclined to think was a coincidence,” but says now makes him “a bit paranoid.” 

Key Quotes: Plaskett’s letter read, “I would like to provide you with an opportunity to correct the hearing record to ensure accuracy in a congressional hearing and so that the public and their representatives are not misled.”

How The Media Covered It: The only prominent left or center-rated outlet that covered the story was Mediaite, which highlighted reactions from other journalists. Rising, a TV program by The Hill (Center bias) that is hosted by Robby Soave of Reason (Lean Right bias) and Briahna Joy Gray of Current Affairs (Left bias) also covered the story. Editor's Note 4/24/23: Updated to specify that Plaskett is a non-voting member of the House.