Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki repeatedly pushed Big Tech companies to censor COVID-19 information coming from conservatives, according to a federal judge.
United States Judge Terry A. Doughty of the Western District of Louisiana said Psaki “publicly began pushing Facebook and other social-media platforms to censor COVID-19 misinformation” on May 5, 2021, according to a legal injunction released Wednesday. The injunction is a response to several lawsuits brought forth by the attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri alleging the White House colluded with social media companies to censor debate on issues relating to COVID-19 and the 2020 presidential election.
“At a White House Press Conference, Psaki publicly reminded Facebook and other social-media platforms of the threat of ‘legal consequences’ if they do not censor misinformation more aggressively,” Doughty wrote.
The injunction quoted Psaki saying major social media platforms “have a responsibility related to the health and safety of all Americans to stop amplifying untrustworthy content, disinformation, and misinformation” related to COVID-19 vaccines and elections. She also said President Joe Biden supports a “robust anti-trust program” to tackle alleged disinformation, according to the injunction.
“The President’s view is that the major platforms have a responsibility related to the health and safety of all Americans to stop amplifying untrustworthy content, disinformation, and misinformation, especially related to COVID-19 vaccinations and elections,” Psaki said in 2021. (RELATED: Psaki Dodges On White House Revealing Which Facebook Posts It Flags As Misinformation)
Ex-Biden aide Jen Psaki hit for coercing tech companies to censor conservatives by federal judge via @foxnews https://t.co/PVPkjeEr5q
— Chris 🇺🇸 (@Chris_1791) July 5, 2023
The former press secretary announced that U.S. Surgeon General Murthy launched an advisory on health misinformation during a joint press conference July 15, 2021. Psaki told reporters the White House was in “regular touch” with social media companies and “flagging problematic posts” on Facebook that allegedly spread misinformation Doughty said happened to be “conservative in nature.”
Doughty said the White House’s alleged actions, if true, are the “most massive attack against free speech” in the history of the United States, according to the injunction.
“If the allegations made by Plaintiffs are true, the present case arguably involves the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history,” the injunction reads. “In their attempts to suppress alleged disinformation, the Federal Government, and particularly the Defendants named here, are alleged to have blatantly ignored the First Amendment’s right to free speech.”
Doughty recently denied the Biden administration’s motion to dismiss the case brought forth by Republican Attorneys General Erik Schmitt of Missouri and Jeff Landry of Louisiana, saying the plaintiffs had “plausibly alleged” First Amendment violations.