Capitol Hill Conservatives are waging a multi-front war against the tech industry in retaliation for the overthrowing President Trump and others on the right, congressional sources Axios said.
Why it matters: If you are in the minority, you determine who you are as a party. While Republicans are now looking up to the Democrats, they are looking for a unifying cause. This is one, at least for now.
What we hear: Members talk anew about breaking up companies, revoking their legal protection and calling in their leaders for evidence. However, they bit their tongues to prevent further damage to their brand after the siege of the Capitol.
But, but, but: Some start the offensive against the companies, at least online and in conservative media.
- Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Who will lead the Republicans in the Senate committee, on Tuesday asked for answers from the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter about their treatment of conservatives.
- Speaking on Fox News last week, Wicker said: “It’s bigger than Donald Trump. It amounts to a blockade of freedom of speech.”
What they say: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Who became the poster boy for Republican persuasion after the election, said Congress should consider breaking up the companies and accepting Trump’s call to repeal Article 230.
- That part of the Communications Decency Act protects platforms from liability for the content that their users post.
- “We have known for some time now that the technological monopolies are closing in on conservative voices. Now they have banned or censored several conservatives within days,” Hawley told Axios.
Other Republicans agree, although it is unclear what they can do in the congressional minority.
- “President Trump’s censorship proves how much power Big Tech has over speech in America,” Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) Said. “The way forward to curb Big Tech is to tackle the blatant antitrust violations and support the government’s efforts to hold these businesses accountable.”
Yes, but: Complaints about prejudice extend just as far, especially since right-wing pages perform exceptionally well on Facebook.
- Democrats and progressives in particular complain that Big Tech has given the worst elements of the right, including white rulers, a safe haven.
Hill damage management: Apple contacted GOP offices to explain and justify Parler’s suspension. Facebook also issued after Trump was banned from discussing conservative allegations of censorship, a GOP assistant said.
- Apple CEO Tim Cook told Fox News that if Parler “gets his moderation”, it will appear in the App Store again.
- For Facebook, the Trump ban is a clear sign that the company is well aware of the Democrats’ rise in Washington, but getting on with conservatives will also have to remain a priority.