The U.S. Departments of State and Commerce and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) allegedly refused to provide records on the Biden-Harris administration’s potential role in global censorship, according to a lawsuit filed by America First Legal (AFL).
The conservative organization filed the lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, claiming certain agencies illegally concealed records about the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and Brazil’s censorship of social media, according to a press release. (RELATED: Biden Admin Officials Planned To Create ‘Pretext For Federal Action’ Against School Board Protests, Report Says)
The Daily Caller previously reported that AFL filed FOIA requests to determine if the Biden-Harris admin had any advanced knowledge or role in Durov’s arrest and Brazil’s crackdown on Twitter.
/1🚨We just sued the Biden-Harris Department of State, Commerce, and USAID for illegally concealing records related to the U.S. gov’t involvement in recent efforts to suppress free speech, specifically the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and social media censorship in Brazil. pic.twitter.com/Sar5Zm2boK
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) October 9, 2024
The complaint asserts the Biden-Harris admin “appear[s] to have incentivized foreign governments” to censor social media platforms, namely Telegram and Twitter.
“The Defendants have failed to produce the requested records within the statutory time limit,” the complaint alleges. The lawsuit further claims the agencies violated FOIA by denying AFL’s requests for expedited processing. (RELATED: Europe’s Free Speech Crackdown Could Be Coming For Americans Next, Advocates Warn)
“Former officials at the Department of State have alleged that the U.S. government was involved in the actions taken against these platforms, which are used by hundreds of millions of people globally,” the document says.
#4 – Cybersecurity expert Mike Benz reveals why he thinks the US State Department is behind the arrest of Telegram’s CEO. pic.twitter.com/FgEI55UJo9
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) September 1, 2024
The press release states there is “significant reason” to believe the Biden-Harris administration may have had a role in France’s arrest of Telegram’s CEO.
“The American people have every right to know whether their government and their taxpayer dollars are being used to suppress free speech around the world,” America First Legal’s Executive Director Gene Hamilton said in the press release. “The collusive censorship enterprise is well-resourced, well-placed, highly motivated, and willing to do anything to silence viewpoints and voices with which they disagree. We are committed to getting to the bottom of this and will deliver the truth for the American people.”
The legal group also pointed to a new report by journalist Michael Shellenberger that claims U.S. agencies, including the FBI, were financing censorship advocacy and “advising the Brazilian government on how to engage in censorship.” (RELATED: Elon Musk Warns Tucker Carlson Harris Will Try To Shut Down X ‘By Any Means Possible’ If Elected)
Brazil Supreme Court Justice Moraes lifted the Twitter ban Wednesday.
The Caller reached out to the Departments of State and Commerce and USAID and has not heard back at the time of publication.
Read the full article here
![Audit Reveals Pritzker’s $1.6 Billion Taxpayer Giveaway to Illegal Aliens [WATCH]](https://www.rvmnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025.01.25-10.45-rvmnews-6794c0e07df61.jpg "Audit Reveals Pritzker’s $1.6 Billion Taxpayer Giveaway to Illegal Aliens [WATCH]")