Jordan subpoenas DNI Haines in censorship investigation

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Thursday subpoenaed Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines as part of the panel's probe into the federal government's alleged collusion with Big Tech firms to censor disfavored viewpoints online.

"The investigative work performed by the Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, along with other publicly available information, have revealed how the federal government has pressured and colluded with Big Tech and other intermediaries to censor certain viewpoints on social media in ways that undermine First Amendment principles," Jordan wrote. "The First Amendment prohibits government officials from imposing viewpoint-based restrictions on speech. State action doctrine prohibits government officials from circumventing constitutional strictures by using private actors—whether through coercion, encouragement, entwinement, or joint participation—to accomplish what the government cannot directly."

Jordan, in notifying Haines, observed that the committee previously sought voluntary cooperation from his office, but that the ODNI did not "produce a single document" and deemed the office's limited responses "woefully inadequate."

He specifically demanded that Haines provide documents and communications between ODNI employees, private companies, and other relevant parties related to online content moderation.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.