Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., chair of the House Oversight Committee’s subcommittee on cybersecurity, has demanded that the Biden administration provide any documents related to efforts to suppress information.
Her request follows allegations from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who accused the White House of pressuring social media platforms to censor content.
In a letter sent to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, Mace called for an immediate halt to any suppression campaigns and urged the administration to ensure that no political pressure is applied to social media companies.
“In the interest of good government and to ensure the integrity of the upcoming national election, I am writing to request information on any information suppression campaigns in which the Administration is currently engaged,” Mace wrote.
“I urge you to cease and desist any such activity and ensure that all employees of the Executive Branch refrain from exerting political pressure on social media companies to censor content in accordance with White House preferences.”
Zuckerberg’s allegations, detailed in a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, claimed that Biden officials had pressured Facebook to censor COVID-19 content, including satire and humour.
This comes after a Supreme Court ruling sided with the Biden administration against GOP attorneys general from Missouri and Louisiana, who had accused the White House of colluding with social media companies to suppress free speech. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority, found no “concrete link” between the plaintiffs’ accusations and the actions of government officials.
Despite the Supreme Court decision, Republicans, who have long been critical of perceived censorship efforts, viewed Zuckerberg’s letter as validation of their concerns.
Mace’s letter underscores the timing of these revelations, which come just over two months before the presidential election. She also referenced troubling reports about how social media platforms responded to information on the assassination attempt of President Trump in July 2024.
Mace has requested that the White House provide all relevant communications with social media companies and internal discussions about censorship by September 25. Fox News Digital has contacted the White House for comment.
