Musk visits House leaders Kevin McCarthy and Hakeem Jeffries at Capitol - The Washington Post

Few details were known astir what was discussed during the meetings. In a Thursday nighttime Tweet, Musk said that they talked astir “ensuring that this level is just to some parties.” He was lone concisely glimpsed by reporters connected the Hill.

Musk’s efforts to overhaul Twitter person catapulted the institution to the forefront of a heated, years-long statement implicit however societal media giants mean governmental speech. His sojourn to Capitol Hill comes arsenic lawmakers from some parties person called for caller laws to code tech companies’ increasing grip connected governmental discourse.

Yet contempt a fractional decennary of hearings and investigations focused connected Silicon Valley tech giants, lawmakers mostly stay astatine an impasse connected however to modulate the industry. Republicans program to usage their power of the House to absorption connected allegations that tech companies are silencing their governmental views online, portion Democrats reason the companies person done to small to halt the amplification of violence, extremism and hate.

Since taking implicit Twitter past fall, Musk has dismantled galore of the cardinal teams that focused connected limiting the dispersed of convulsive contented and misinformation connected Twitter. He besides has overturned the suspensions connected galore blimpish accounts that violated Twitter’s rules nether erstwhile institution leadership, including erstwhile president Donald Trump’s account, which was permanently banned successful the aftermath of the unit astatine the Capitol.

Musk’s moves person mostly been cheered by Republican politicians, who person accused tech companies for years of harboring a bias against conservatives. Lawmakers connected Capitol Hill person seized connected the “Twitter Files,” leaked internal communications astir however the institution handled contented moderation successful the run-up to the 2020 election and the pandemic.

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the seat of the House Oversight Committee, has said successful interviews that helium plans to analyse whether the authorities played a relation successful Twitter’s determination to suppress a 2020 New York Post communicative astir President Biden’s lad Hunter. The Twitter Files person shown that the institution independently decided to bounds the dispersed of the article, without Democratic politicians, the Biden run oregon FBI exerting control.

Meanwhile, Democrats person reacted with alarm astatine Musk’s efforts to unwind the company’s erstwhile investments successful safety. Democrats person criticized his determination to unwind the company’s Trust and Safety Council and blasted his decision to suspend the accounts of salient journalists, including The Post’s Drew Harwell, who remains locked retired of Twitter.

Lawmakers shared small astir what was discussed during the meeting. Asked astir the meeting, McCarthy, who turned 58 on Thursday, declined to remark but quipped that Musk “came to privation maine blessed birthday,” adding “we’ve been friends for years.”

Representatives for McCarthy did not instantly respond to an aboriginal Friday petition for remark from The Post.

Musk, who is besides CEO of Tesla, antecedently championed McCarthy during the historic stalemate successful the House talker ballot earlier this month, which saw him instrumentality up the gavel lone aft 15 rounds of ballots and days of interior Republican wrangling.

“Kevin McCarthy should beryllium Speaker,” the tech billionaire tweeted astatine the time, lending his enactment to the California Republican. “If not McCarthy, past earnestly who?” Musk added, prompting users to impulse him to enactment politically neutral.

In May 2022, Musk said he had antecedently voted Democrat but could “no longer enactment them” and would power to the Republican Party instead.

McCarthy has besides publically supported Musk successful the past, telling reporters past twelvemonth that the Biden medication should “stop picking connected Elon Musk” aft President Biden said that aspects of Musk’s concern dealings deserved scrutiny.

Since taking implicit Twitter, Musk has reinstated Trump, pursuing a Twitter poll, arsenic good arsenic the accounts of different salient figures who were banned successful the aftermath of the insurrection. Trump has truthful acold declined to tweet since being reinstated, opting to usage his Truth Social level instead. He has said helium volition not rejoin Twitter — but it remains unclear if helium volition instrumentality to that arsenic helium launches his bid to instrumentality to the White House successful 2024.

Twitter has already reversed people connected immoderate of the caller relationship reinstatements. Far-right activistic Nick Fuentes, “Stop the Steal” organizer Ali Alexander and rapper Ye returned to Twitter aft Musk bought the company, but person since been suspended again.

This week, societal media behemoth Meta announced that it was besides reinstating Trump’s accounts connected Facebook and Instagram aft a two-year suspension implicit his relation successful praising the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021, successful an onslaught that near respective dormant and galore injured. Trump was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House connected a complaint of inciting an insurrection, though the Senate past acquitted him.

“The nationalist should beryllium capable to perceive what their politicians are saying — the good, the atrocious and the disfigured — truthful that they tin marque informed choices astatine the ballot box,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of planetary affairs, said this week. “But that does not mean determination are nary limits to what radical tin accidental connected our platform,” helium added.

Social media platforms person struggled to equilibrium the request to alteration the nationalist to presumption perchance newsworthy but divisive posts from satellite leaders, with their contented moderation policies and the perchance harmful consequences of that rhetoric.

Naomi Nix and Tony Romm contributed to this report.