Judge orders Fauci, Biden officials to be deposed in social media collusion case

A federal judge has ordered that Dr. Anthony Fauci and a slew of other senior Biden officials are being impeached over the government’s alleged collusion with social media companies to “censor free speech.”

On Friday, the court granted the petition filed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, both Republicans.

Both accused the Biden government of having worked “hand in hand” with social media giants to “censor” news stories that negatively impact White’s House and called it a ‘gross attack on our’ First Amendment,” said a report.

The suitalleges that the Biden administration actively partnered with social media companies, encouraging them to censor “disapproved” views and speakers in violation of those individuals’ First Amendment rights.

In his decision, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty claimed Fauci’s previous public comments regarding national pandemic policy made him a relevant figure in the case and ordered his impeachment.

“The American people deserve answers about the way the federal government has partnered with social media companies to censor free speech,” Schmitt said.

Other senior officials facing impeachment include: ​Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretaryDirector of White House Digital Strategy Rob Flaherty or former White House Senior COVID-19 Advisory Andrew Slavitt.

FBI Special Agent Elvis Chan, CISA Director Jen Easterly or CISA Officer Lauren Protentis, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, CDC Chief of Digital Media Division Carol Crawford, and Acting Coordinator of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center Daniel Kimmage , are also dropped.

“During this case, we have uncovered a disturbing amount of collusion between Big Tech and Big Government,” Landry said in a statement Monday.

The 164-page lawsuit was filed late last week, but an updated filing on Monday indicates Republican officials are expanding their legal efforts to target 47 other government departments, agencies and officials in addition to the 20 defendants originally named.

President Joe Biden, current press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Nina Jankowicz, who was meant to lead Biden’s now-defunct disinformation board, are among the dozen defendants named in the lawsuit.

Maggie Haberman, of The New York Times, (pictured left) and Jen Psaki (right), the former White House press secretary, appear at Meet the Press in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, October 9.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (right) speaks to the media during a rally outside the offices of Mark Alford, Republican nominee for Missouri’s 4th congressional district on Oct. 14 in Raymore, Missouri. He is pictured with Ted Cruz (left)

Finally, plaintiffs argue that the credibility of Dr. Fauci has been in dispute since 2020 regarding alleged COVID-19 ‘misinformation’. In particular, plaintiffs argue that Dr. Fauci has made public statements about the efficacy of masks, the percentage of the population needed for herd immunity, NIAID’s funding of ‘gain-of-function’ virus research in Wuhan, the laboratory leak theory and more,” he wrote.

Plaintiffs insist that his comments on these important issues are relevant to the present case and are further reasons why Dr. Fauci must be deposed. Plaintiffs argue that they should not be required to give Dr. Fauci’s “selfish general denials” issued by anyone other than himself, without more accepting. The court agrees,” he continued.

Doughty – who was appointed by Donald Trump – rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to use administrative law, claiming it would only apply to emails from the internal administration. Emails with outside executives were fair game, he ruled.

Their correspondences are also “obviously very relevant” to the case, the judge wrote in his 10-page opinion.

‘Dr. Fauci’s communications would be relevant to plaintiffs’ claims of alleged speech suppression related to the lab leak theory of the origin of COVID-19, and to alleged speech suppression about the efficiency of masks and COVID-19 interlocks,” he said. the court. states.

“Jean-Pierre’s statements as White House press secretary may be relevant to all of the plaintiffs’ examples.”