FBI and Twitter, supplemental

Matt Taibbi, on Friday December 16, released a thread detailing the partnership between Twitter and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Last night he released another thread, saying more about that partnership.

The second FBI and Twitter thread

Herewith the second thread detailing the relationship between Twitter and the FBI:

The last tweet embeds this article from a site by Alex Bilzerian. The title: “A Case for Regulation in the Art Market.” Is this a tease for the next Twitter Files? Or is it a blind? CNAV will wait and watch.

This thread details specifically the relationship of Twitter with the Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF). As you can see, Twitter received a demand that they Get With The Program. Taibbi correctly points out that the demands for explanation and compliance comes not merely from the FBI. The FBI is a “conduit” for the intelligence community – many member agencies of which are not supposed to run domestic operations.

In fact the Deep State has just reared its ugly head. We see here a scene out of a movie, in which a high-ranking villain threatens someone who questions what said villain is asking. And that someone then says:

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Anything you say, sir.

Is this really the FBI? Or is it, rather, a combination of the Stasi and the Volkspolizei in East Germany during the Cold War? Or the Gestapo and the Schutzstaffel during the Second World War?

Reaction

The reaction to this file is shocking. Apologists for the FBI and the U.S. intelligence community, including two U.S. Representatives, have taken a sharp and imperious tone. In fact, that tone has made Matt Taibbi terrifically angry.

For example: Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-33rd) scornfully sums up the thread: “Twitter disagreed with the FBI.” Taibbi sharply reminds him to re-read the thread.

Later he laments – as anyone should – that a Member of Congress would take the Twitter/FBI relationship as “a partisan story.”

Another user accuses Taibbi of context dropping and Soviet propaganda technique. If this user is even capable of appreciating the irony, she (presumably) gives no sign. Herewith Taibbi’s response:

At 4:36 p.m. PST, Taibbi tweets out a graphic labeled “Starting to hear from partners.”

The graphic references a “Schiff,” presumably Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.-28th), outgoing Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. (Who also serves on the January 6 Committee.) This same Adam Schiff actually says that relaxed moderation is a problem!

Yet another user asks whether the FBI had grounds for looking at social media posts. Taibbi reminds him that this time, the FBI had no such grounds.

And here he sums up his thread:

Analysis

If the Twitter Files story is a partisan story, then the Democratic Party made it partisan. Partisan like the Socialist Unity Party of (East) Germany, or the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Furthermore, it ill befits any Member of Congress to apologize for such behavior as we have seen. (Or to help such a Member remain in office, as Republicans did at Midterms.)

CNAV has learned to expect no better of Democrats, particularly California Democrats. (With one possible exception: Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.-17th.) But we expect better of Republicans. Thus far no Republican, except Donald Trump and possibly Kari Lake, has said a word about this disgraceful era. And that is final shame to American pride.