Elon Musk releases the controversial ‘Twitter Files’

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has dropped a new revelation that would steer the platform more in the political direction. On Dec.3, the billionaire announced the release of the first set of ‘Twitter Files.’ One of the controversial revelations is the internal handling of tweets on reports of Hunter Biden’s laptop.

The files on Hunter Biden’s laptop go way back to the files of Fall 2020 before the presidential election. His leaked computer files will expose his personal life and business dealings overseas. It will also reveal Twitter’s ‘Wrongful’ handling of the information, which led to the subjects being under controversy for the last two years. 

Before releasing his mysterious ‘Twitter files,’ Tesla and SpaceX CEO  took to Twitter with one word. “This will be awesome.” His enigmatic tweet certainly stirred up excitement among Twitter users and media. It was revealed that the contents would be a lengthy thread released by journalist Matt Taibbi. 

This will be awesome 🍿

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2022

Before the public had even processed his previous move – an unexpected decision to block rapper Kanye West’s account for a tweet about Hitler – he was tweeting out yet more news. With the promise of disclosures and 40 minutes left to wait, fans eagerly awaited what happened next. He tweeted, “We’re double-checking some facts, so probably start live tweeting in about 40 mins.” 

Elon Musk also promised a follow-up to his first controversial “Twitter Files” drop. The next one will include journalists Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss. However, no exact date was given for the impending release.

The first drop generated high expectations but ultimately received a largely lackluster reception. During the two-hour-long Twitter Spaces session, conducted from Musk’s private jet, technical difficulties were apparent, though he chose to press on regardless.

We’re double-checking some facts, so probably start live tweeting in about 40 mins

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2022

Twitter Files episode 1

Despite not having read the files himself, Musk revealed the catalyst for the original tweet thread was about the incident in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. He just left one significant tweet saying, “how much government influence was there.”

Musk’s recent decisions demonstrate that he is not only willing to stand by his beliefs but also willing to make a statement. His decision to urge his followers to vote Republican in the midterm elections and reinstate former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account is no surprise. Regardless of personal opinions on the matter, Musk has chosen a side and shows no signs of wavering from it. 

Though Taibbi reports that he had to “agree to certain conditions” to pursue the story, USA TODAY could not independently verify the authenticity of the screenshots and documents used for his reporting.

When asked for a comment, the White House declined to make any statements – likely indicative of its refusal to acknowledge or deny anything related to this controversial report. 

Here we go!! 🍿🍿 https://t.co/eILK9f3bAm

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 2, 2022

The debate on social media regarding censoring tweets that promote a 2020 New York Post story on Hunter Biden’s laptop is intensifying, with questions about whether it was the right decision for Twitter.

The Post story provided sensitive material, which many other nationally-recognized news sources could not verify upon publication. 

President Biden, his allies, and former intelligence officials have acknowledged the possibility. They said that the story involving emails targeting Hunter Biden could be the result of Russian disinformation.

Despite this speculation, DNI John Ratcliffe has stated that the emails in question are unrelated to any disinformation campaign. Still, federal authorities are taking extra precautions to verify the authenticity of this material as part of their investigation.

Twitter Files explained

According to Taibbi, the Twitter platform recently banned tweets from former Trump officials highlighting his article. They could contact Twitter and criticize the company for its restrictions.

On the flip side of the coin, members of Biden’s campaign responded by filing requests to have specific tweets removed from the social media website resulting in blocking Trump as well.

This is very kind of you to say, but this so much bigger than me. If they can do this to me, they can do it to anyone and they know it.

We must win this fight for future generations. I commend @ElonMusk for what he is doing at Twitter and I hope he inspires others. #TwitterFiles https://t.co/F7JjqP62Sm

— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) December 4, 2022

The aftermath was former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s regrets about the platform’s decision to censor the story. Despite claims from Biden’s team that the disclosure seemed to have followed a Russian information operation and Joe Biden’s suspicion of it as a “Russian plant” during a debate, Twitter already blocked its dissemination. 

Moreover, although there was some hesitance about the decision taken by Twitter. Other colleagues argued for it on the grounds of insufficient information. According to others, evidence via screenshots of internal conversations and emails by Taibibi were vague details.

These emails corroborate former Twitter site integrity head Yoel Roth’s statement. He cited it during a recent onstage interview with journalist Kara Swisher. Taibbi claimed that the contact is more frequent from Democrats. However, he has not presented evidence or documents supporting his claim. 

In addition, there has been no mention of whether Democratic entities requested that Twitter suppress the Washington Post article. Neither does Taibibi’s narrative suggest US governmental intervention in this occurrence. This news story continues to generate headlines and much speculation about what happened.

BREAKING

I just got to ask Musk about actually PROOF of post-Jan. 2020 Biden Administration crimes in contravention of the 1st Amendment.

Elon’s reply:

“I have not read the #TwitterFiles but I believe there will be a smoking gun.

I’ll leave that to @mtaibbi and #BariWeiss.”

— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) December 4, 2022

Elon Musk personal take

Moreover, Musk also took to Twitter to express his opinion on the “Twitter Files” release. He accused major news organizations. Musk mentioned the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post as “setting agendas.” The Post’s coverage of the story concluded that there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

The tech mogul also discussed the topical issue of government surveillance in a recent session. He noted that it should be left to US citizens, not the government. The citizens should decide on the fate of Edward Snowden. Snowden is a former contractor for the CIA who famously leaked intelligence secrets back in 2013. 

Musk also proposed that the social media platform program and monetize native long audio and video postings. He said he met disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in March. He claimed that his ‘BS meter went off.’ Musk doubled down on by clarifying that Twitter never took any kind of investment from Bankman-Fried or FTX.