Conservative figure targets Twitter, ex-California Secretary of State, and others in lawsuit

"Government cannot censor speech on the basis of viewpoint, but that is exactly what happened here,” the Center for American Liberty, which is representing the plaintiff, said in a statement.

By Alex Nitzberg

Published: June 20, 2021 4:29pm

Updated: June 20, 2021 5:27pm

Conservative Rogan O'Handley has lodged a lawsuit targeting Twitter, a former California secretary of state, and others, claiming they colluded to censor content pertaining to the election, infringing upon O'Handley's free speech, due process and equal protection rights.

The Epoch Times reported that the suit points to emails and documents from the Golden State's Office of Elections Cybersecurity, revealing that after state workers had flagged posts on the platform for allegedly containing misinformation, Twitter removed many of the posts, including O'Handley's.

The social media giant also permanently suspended O'Handley for a post that declared "most votes in American history" and included a photo of the Capitol building surrounded by barbed wire in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 episode.

The outlet said that the suit cites material obtained by Judicial Watch, showing communications between the social media company and the Office of Elections Cybersecurity.

"The actions of then-California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, his agents, and Twitter are outrageous. Government cannot censor speech on the basis of viewpoint, but that is exactly what happened here,” the Center for American Liberty, which is representing the plaintiff, said in a statement, according to the Epoch Times.