Congresswoman Threatens Matt Taibbi with Years in Prison Over Reporting on Twitter Files

Continuing the chilling display of corruption and authoritarianism put out by the Biden administration, Rep. Stacey Plaskett, the Democratic delegate representing the Virgin Islands in the US Congress, has waged a war on independent journalist Matt Taibbi by accusing him of perjury and hinting at a potential five-year imprisonment sentence. This blatant attempt to silence a journalist shines a spotlight on the increasing threat to free press in the United States.

Previously, during a House Judiciary Select Subcommittee hearing on the Federal Government’s Weaponization, Plaskett had dismissed Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger as “so-called journalists” and sought to discredit their testimony on government pressure influencing speech restrictions on Twitter. In a letter obtained by investigative journalist Lee Fang, Plaskett cites alleged errors in Taibbi’s work to bolster her claim of perjury and reminds him that giving false testimony to Congress carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

The basis for Plaskett’s perjury accusation lies in several alleged inaccuracies in Taibbi’s publication of the Twitter Files. MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan brought these alleged inaccuracies to light during an interview and used them to argue that the entire Twitter Files project was fundamentally flawed. However, Hasan failed to explain how these errors invalidated the basis of the Twitter Files revelations.

While Taibbi did make an honest mistake, confusing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a federal government entity, with the Center for Internet Security (CIS), a nonprofit organization, he acknowledged the error in a tweet. Taibbi noted that both organizations were part of the Election Integrity Partnership, a Stanford University initiative aimed at monitoring election-related social-media discourse.

Despite this admission, Plaskett’s claim that Taibbi intentionally made the error and committed perjury is unfounded. Fang wrote, “Hasan deceptively conflated this quickly corrected tweet with Taibbi’s testimony.” He continued, “…the evidence shows that Taibbi’s congressional remarks were correct. CIS and CISA collaborated with EIP on moderation requests, with both organizations directly appealing to Twitter for censorship, making Taibbi’s overall point and particular argument completely accurate.”

The irony of Plaskett’s allegations is hard to ignore. While accusing Taibbi of “intentionally” confusing CISA and CIS to undermine the idea that the government is stifling speech, she simultaneously threatens a journalist with imprisonment, effectively weaponizing her power against a member of the free press.

This disturbing incident serves as a stark reminder that the free press is under constant threat in today’s political climate. Rather than fostering open dialogue and addressing the concerns raised by journalists like Taibbi, some politicians prefer to wield their power to intimidate and silence those who dare to question their actions or the actions of the government. It is crucial that we remain vigilant in defending the free press and the rights of journalists to report the truth without fear of retribution or persecution.

Source: The Free Thought Project

Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Minds.

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