(Daily Caller News Foundation) — Two Republican state attorneys general sued former Biden administration COVID czar Andy Slavitt, among other administration officials, adding them to an ongoing lawsuit alleging collusion between Big Tech and the Biden administration to suppress COVID-related speech online.
The new additions come amid a third-party subpoena of Twitter, YouTube and Meta, which the complaint credits for identifying a variety of White House and administration officials who were involved in the alleged censorship campaign. The states intend to file a motion requesting the deposition of “key defendants,” Republican Attorneys General Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Jeff Landry of Louisiana said in a statement Monday, announcing the amended complaint.
Slavitt and a senior Meta executive were in regular contact to discuss suppression of COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook, the lawsuit alleges. Slavitt also allegedly pressured Twitter to ban vaccine and lockdown critic Alex Berenson on April 21, 2021.
NEW: Missouri and Louisiana plan to request depositions of top-ranking officials and have filed a 2nd Amended Complaint adding 47 new defendants to our lawsuit against the fed government for allegedly colluding with social media giants to censor speech.https://t.co/g0K8LdOMHv pic.twitter.com/CQlEauZk3I
— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) October 10, 2022
Berenson has been criticized notably for his stance on vaccines, including claims that side effects are dangerous or more severe than flu shots. On July 11, 2021, Chief Medical Advisor to the President Anthony Fauci described a crowd cheering Berenson’s anti-vaccine comments at the Conservative Political Action Conference as “horrifying,” according to The Hill.
“Throughout this case, we have uncovered a disturbing amount of collusion between Big Tech and Big Government,” said Landry in the states’ press release. “This egregious attack on our First Amendment will be met with an equally full-hearted defense of the rights of the American people.”
Neither Slavitt nor the White House immediately responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
