Rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty
The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol issued a new round of subpoenas Thursday, calling on the owners of Facebook, Twitter, Google and Reddit to hand over records relating to the event.
In an announcement, the committee said the subpoenas come “after inadequate responses toprior requests for information” from Alphabet (the parent company of Google), Meta (the parent company of Facebook), Reddit, and Twitter “relating to the spread of misinformation, efforts to overturn the 2020 election, domestic violent extremism, and foreign influence in the 2020 election.”
“Two key questions for the Select Committee are how the spread of misinformation and violent extremism contributed to the violent attack on our democracy, and what steps—if any—social media companies took to prevent their platforms from being breeding grounds for radicalizing people to violence,” committee Chairman Bennie Thompson said in a statement.
Thompson continued: “It’s disappointing that after months of engagement, we still do not have the documents and information necessary to answer those basic questions. The Select Committee is working to get answers for the American people and help ensure nothing like January 6th ever happens again. We cannot allow our important work to be delayed any further.”
The companies being subpoenaed did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but instatements issuedto CNBC week, Meta, Reddit and Google said they would continue working with the committee. Twitter declined to comment.
TheFacebook Oversight Board later foundthat Trump “created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible” and that “there was a clear, immediate risk of harm and his words of support for those involved in the riots legitimized their violent actions.”
So far, the panel investigating the Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021 has interviewed more than 300 witnesses, issued more than 50 subpoenas, and collected more than 35,000 pages of documents for the investigation.
“We want to tell it from start to finish over a series of weeks, where we can bring out the best witnesses in a way that makes the most sense,” a senior committee aide told the paper. “Our legacy piece and final product will be the select committee’s report.”
As part of its investigation, the committee is also considering whether to recommend charges to the Justice Department for anyone involved in the events of Jan. 6, including former President Donald Trump.
source: people.com
