FBI responds to Twitter Files disclosures, says it didn't request 'any action' on specific tweets - Fox News

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is responding to Twitter Files revealing that the bureau regularly contacted employees astatine the societal media elephantine to notify them of accounts that "may" represent violations of the company's presumption of service.

FBI officials told Fox News that the bureau didn't ask Twitter employees to "take action" based connected the accusation provided, and said the accusation was provided truthful that Twitter employees tin marque a determination connected whether to instrumentality action.

"We are providing it truthful that they tin instrumentality immoderate enactment they deem due nether their presumption of work to support their level and support their customers, but we ne'er nonstop oregon inquire them to instrumentality action," the FBI officials said.

Substack writer and writer Matt Taibbi tweeted aggregate interior files betwixt Twitter workers and FBI employees arsenic portion of the sixth installment of the Twitter Files. 

FBI NOTIFIED TWITTER ABOUT USERS 'POTENTIALLY' VIOLATING TERMS: TWITTER FILES

A divided representation of an FBI cause successful an authoritative windbreaker and the Twitter logo connected a bluish screen. (iStock and AP Photo/Gregory Bull, respectively)

"Hello Twitter contacts, FBI San Francisco is notifying you of the beneath accounts which whitethorn perchance represent violations of Twitter's Terms of Service for immoderate enactment oregon inaction deemed due wrong Twitter policy," 1 email FBI worker wrote successful an email connected Nov. 10.

In the email, an FBI worker listed respective Twitter accounts which mightiness interruption the societal media company's presumption of service.

A Twitter worker responded that 3 of the 4 accounts were suspended, and asked idiosyncratic other astatine the institution to reappraisal the 4th relationship flagged by the FBI for "possible civic misinformation."

Taibbi said that 1 of the accounts tweeted connected Nov. 8, "I privation to punctual republicans to ballot tomorrow, Wednesday November 9."

One of the emails shared by Taibbi shows the "Public Sector Engagement Squad" astatine FBI's San Francisco bureau notifying Twitter employees of "account activities" that "potentially represent violations of Twitter's Terms of Service."

Another tweet flagged by the FBI states, "Americans, Vote today. Democrats you ballot Wednesday 9th." 

ELON MUSK CLASHES WITH 'TWITTER FILES' JOURNO BARI WEISS AFTER SHE CRITICIZES JOURNALIST SUSPENSIONS

The FBI is responding to Twitter Files, revealing that the bureau regularly contacted employees astatine the societal media elephantine to notify them of accounts that "may" represent violations of the company's presumption of service. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

An FBI employee wrote successful an email that 1 idiosyncratic "claimed successful her posts that she is simply a ballot antagonistic successful her authorities and, successful further posts, states, 'For each antagonistic remark connected this post, I'm adding different ballot for the democrats' and 'If you're not wearing a mask, I'm not counting your vote.'"

Taibbi said that the tweet from the idiosyncratic claiming to beryllium a ballot antagonistic was satirical.

FBI MAY HAVE VIOLATED FIRST AMENDMENT WITH TWITTER MODERATION REQUESTS, EXPERTS WARN

Twitter's erstwhile Deputy General Counsel Jim Baker was told successful 1 email shared by autarkic writer Michael Shellenberger that the institution has collected $3,415,323 from the FBI.

"Jim, FYI, successful 2019 SCALE instituted a reimbursement programme for our ineligible process effect from the FBI. Prior to the commencement of the program, Twitter chose not to cod nether this statutory close of reimbursement for the clip spent processing requests from the FBI," a erstwhile Twitter worker wrote. "I americium blessed to study we person collected $3,415,323 since October 2019! This wealth is utilized by LP for things similar the TTR and different LE-related projects (LE training, tooling, etc.)."

The FBI authoritative didn't contradict the multimillion-dollar payment to Twitter, but said it was a "reimbursement" for the "reasonable costs and expenses associated with their effect to a ineligible process…for complying with ineligible requests, and a modular procedure."

However, the FBI authoritative said, "We don’t conscionable reimburse Twitter," suggesting that the FBI has reimbursed different societal media platforms arsenic well.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation emblem is seen connected the office gathering successful Washington D.C, connected Oct. 20, 2022. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The FBI officials besides said that they didn't springiness Twitter employees "specific instructions oregon details regarding the Hunter Biden laptop story."

When asked if the FBI utilized backmost transmission communications with Twitter employees to suppress oregon spike the Hunter Biden laptop story, the FBI officials said "We did nary petition thing of the sort.."

"We absorption connected activities attributed to overseas actors, not connected the contented oregon narrative," the FBI officials said erstwhile asked if the bureau provided nary accusation to Twitter employees straight oregon indirectly, oregon regarding Russian power and Hunter Biden.

In a connection shared with Fox News, an FBI spokesperson said, "The correspondence betwixt the FBI and Twitter amusement thing much than examples of our traditional, longstanding and ongoing national authorities and backstage assemblage engagements, which impact galore companies implicit aggregate sectors and industries. As evidenced successful the correspondence, the FBI provides captious accusation to the backstage assemblage successful an effort to let them to support themselves and their customers."

"The men and women of the FBI enactment each time to support the American public. It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are feeding the American nationalist misinformation with the sole intent of attempting to discredit the agency," the spokesperson added.