House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is demanding to know if YouTube changed some of its content moderation policies on firearms because of pressure from government officials, such as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
On Tuesday, Jordan sent a letter to the legal counsel for YouTube parent company Alphabet requesting communications and records related to the company's "interactions with the Executive Branch and other entities regarding changes to its firearms content policy."
The Ohio Republican added that the request would be responsive to a previously issued subpoena for documents that is "continuing in nature."
Earlier this month, YouTube announced that it would prohibit content "showing how to remove safety devices" from guns and restrict "content showing the use of homemade firearms, automatic firearms, and certain firearm accessories."
"Recent reporting and other publicly available information suggests that YouTube's decision to change its firearms policy may have been influenced by government officials and third parties interested in suppressing certain Second Amendment-related content," Jordan wrote.
In the letter, he specifically mentioned Bragg writing to YouTube to demand the company revise its content moderation policies "to further censor firearms-related content."
The Democrat district attorney brought the business records case against former President Donald Trump, who was convicted late last month on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
In an April letter to YouTube, Bragg expressed concern over instructional videos showing how to make "ghost guns," saying the videos should be taken down and blocked from being uploaded. He also said the platform should "stop recommending videos with violent content, including those modeling ghost guns, to children."
"Ghost guns" are firearms that are assembled by private citizens and do not have serial numbers.
Following YouTube's content moderation policy change announcement, Bragg issued a press release that indicated it was made in response to his request and thanked the company for its "responsiveness and willingness to work with our office."
"Given that YouTube has censored First Amendment-protected speech as a result of government agencies' requests and demands in the past, these revelations raise serious concerns about whether and to what extent the Executive Branch is working with third parties and other intermediaries to coerce and/or collude with YouTube to censor lawful speech regarding the Second Amendment and firearms," Jordan said in the letter.
Jordan also noted that Bragg had "hired the third highest-ranking Department of Justice official to assist in his partisan prosecution of President Trump," suggesting a link between the New York prosecutor and the executive branch of the federal government.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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