Jim Jordan Subpoenas Three Federal Agencies for Docs on Censorship

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan on Friday issued subpoenas to officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) seeking materials connected to his committee’s investigation of alleged collusion between the government and private companies to censor speech.

“The Twitter Files and other public reporting have exposed how the federal government has pressured and colluded with Big Tech and other intermediaries to censor certain viewpoints in ways that undermine First Amendment principles,” reads a press release from the Ohio Republican.

Jordan issued letters to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, CISA Director Jen Easterly, and GEC Special Envoy and Coordinator James Rubin.

“The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of how and the extent to which the Executive Branch has coerced and colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor speech,” read all of the letters. “To develop effective legislation, such as the possible enactment of new statutory limits on the Executive Branch’s ability to work with social media platforms and other
companies to restrict the circulation of content and deplatform users, the Committee on the Judiciary must first understand how and to what extent the Executive Branch coerced and colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor speech.”

“To this end, we have asked for communications between the [agency], private companies, and other third-party groups such as nonprofit organizations, in addition to other information. Your response without compulsory process has, to date, been
inadequate,” they further read.

All three letters noted that the Committee previously sought the voluntary cooperation of each agency before pointing the recipients to the attached subpoenas compelling cooperation.

The subpoenas come as part of a broader effort by House Republicans to investigate the Biden administration.