(Daily Caller News Foundation) — House Judiciary Chair Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan sent subpoenas to the chief executive officers of five Big Tech companies on Wednesday.
Jordan subpoenaed Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella for “documents and communications relating to the federal government’s reported collusion with Big Tech to suppress free speech,” which they must produce by March 23. He previously sent letters requesting documents to the same CEOs in December, though the companies did not comply.
“Publicly available information suggests that your companies’ treatment of certain speakers and content may stem from government directives or guidance designed to suppress dissenting views,” Jordan wrote in his December letter. “Therefore, we write to request more information about the nature and extent of your companies’ collusion with the Biden Administration.”
The committee chose not to send a subpoena to Twitter CEO Elon Musk because the company “is seen as more friendly to conservative voices since its change in ownership,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
“Congress has an important role in protecting and advancing fundamental free speech principles, including by examining how private actors coordinate with the government to suppress First Amendment-protected speech,” says a statement released by the House Judiciary GOP. “These subpoenas are the first step in holding Big Tech accountable.”
A Microsoft spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the company has “started producing documents.”
“We have started producing documents, are engaged with the Committee, and committed to working in good faith,” a spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Meta also said the company has started producing documents and “will continue to do so moving forward.”
The subpoenas are the latest in Republicans’ attempts to hold Big Tech companies accountable for reported censorship and communication with government agencies. On Monday, Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced an investigation into Meta, Google, Twitter and TikTok for censorship and use of algorithms that suppress conservative content. Last week, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on Twitter’s role in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story, where former Twitter executives testified.
Alphabet, Amazon and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
