The Biden administration repeatedly pressured Facebook to censor information about the COVID-19 crisis in 2021, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told House Republicans, adding he regrets taking down certain posts.
Mr. Zuckerberg said in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan that the administration repeatedly pressured the social network for months to remove virus-related material, including humor and satire.
“I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it,” Mr. Zuckerberg told Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican. “I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today.”
Mr. Zuckerberg also said his company erred in demoting a story about President Biden’s son, Hunter, and a laptop that seemed to have information about the Biden family’s foreign business ties. The platform’s maneuvers made it less likely for users to see the story.
Mr. Zuckerberg said the FBI had warned the platform about potential Russian disinformation about the Biden family and Ukrainian energy company Burisma before the 2020 election. But, he said, the laptop story from the New York Post should not have been flagged as disinformation.
He said Facebook no longer demotes content while waiting for fact-checkers to investigate the matter.
Mr. Zuckerberg also said he spread around private money to help jurisdictions run the 2020 elections during the pandemic but has no plans to fund elections in this cycle. He insisted that his funding, dubbed “Zuck Bucks,” was neutral despite conservative complaints that his money aided liberal districts.
Mr. Jordan hailed the letter as a big win for conservatives who flagged government-directed censorship and Facebook’s funding of election operations.
“That’s right, no more Zuck-bucks,” the judiciary panel posted on X. “Huge win for election integrity.”
For months, House Republicans investigated claims that administration officials pushed to downplay online content about the COVID-19 crisis as health officials scrambled to combat fast-spreading variants and mandate the use of vaccines by certain workers.
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, fumed over the suppression of the Post story that detailed Hunter Biden’s laptop, saying it was an extension of unsubstantiated claims that Russia was helping his campaigns.
Mr. Trump took a victory lap on Truth Social after Mr. Zuckerberg’s mea culpa.
“This is what everyone’s been waiting for — THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WAS RIGGED!” Mr. Trump posted.
The Washington Times reached out to the White House for comment on Mr. Zuckerberg’s letter.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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