Democratic Del. Stacey E. Plaskett, who represents the United States Virgin Islands, attacked witnesses Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger, two journalists who broke the Twitter Files, at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday, characterizing them as dangerous and a “threat” to former Twitter employees.
Plaskett characterized Taibbi and Shellenberger as “two of Elon Musk’s ‘public scribes’” and said Republicans brought them in “to release cherry-picked out-of-context emails and screenshots designed to promote his chosen narrative — Elon Musk’s chosen narrative — that is now being parroted by the Republicans” for political gain.
Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) refers to @mtaibbi and @ShellenbergerMD as “so-called journalists.” pic.twitter.com/Pq8qtCPgoe
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 9, 2023
Plaskett also called the witnesses “so-called journalists” and said they have threatened former Twitter employees by reporting on the Twitter Files. (RELATED: State Department Allegedly Funded ‘Disinformation’ Blacklists, Flagged Accounts For Executives, Twitter Files Show)
Plaskett stated, “I want to underscore the very real threat posed by Twitter Files and by the witnesses in front of us today. Here’s Yoel Roth describing the harassment he and other former Twitter employees have faced because of the irresponsible way in which the witnesses in front of us and others have released this cherry-picked and out-of-context data.”
She then showed a video of Yoel Roth testifying about threats against him and other employees, saying people attacked him as well as junior employees after Elon Musk shared an allegation that Roth supports or condones pedophilia.
“Those were the consequences for this type of online harassment and speech,” Roth said.
Roth was previously criticized for a past tweet suggesting Donald Trump was an “actual Nazi.”
Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) accuses @mtaibbi and @ShellenbergerMD of trying to kill the people who work at Twitter that they reported on in the Twitter files. pic.twitter.com/5oqKLQsnIm
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 9, 2023
“I’m not exaggerating when I say you have called two witnesses who pose a direct threat to people who oppose them,” Plaskett said after the video.
She heard the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio laughing and asked, “It’s funny … when people have to go through that?”
Jordan said, “It’s crazy what you were just saying.”
Plaskett then compared the Twitter Files to Kevin McCarthy giving Tucker Carlson Jan. 6 footage.
“This is a new Republican playbook apparently,” she said.
She concluded her opening statement by saying big tech and big government collusion is a “false narrative” and “we are going to tell the truth.”
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