Jim Jordan subpoenas FBI Agent Elvis Chan over Biden admin collusion with Big Tech

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Friday issued a subpoena to FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Field Office Elvis Chan after the Department of Justice blocked Chan's appearance at a voluntary interview.

"The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of how and to what extent the Executive Branch has coerced and colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor speech," Jordan wrote. "As the primary liaison between the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF) and social media companies, you are uniquely positioned to aid the Committee’s oversight."

At issue are the federal government's joint operations with major social media companies to censor disfavored political viewpoints during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jordan contended that court proceedings and public reporting have "exposed how the federal government has pressured and colluded with Big Tech and other intermediaries to censor certain viewpoints on social and other media in ways that undermine First Amendment principles."

"It is necessary for Congress to gauge the extent to which FBI agents coerced, pressured, worked with, or relied upon social media and other tech companies to censor speech. The scope of the Committee’s investigation includes understanding the extent and nature of the FBI’s involvement in this censorship," Jordan contended. 

Chan was slated to sit for a transcribed interview on Friday, though a dispute between the FBI and the Committee over protocol led to the cancellation of the interview. Accordingly, the committee issued a subpoena.

Jordan's subpoena comes amid the ongoing Missouri v. Biden court case in which Republican-led states have challenged the administrations interactions with social media giants. Last week, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision of Judge Terry Doughty, which found that the administration's efforts likely violated the First Amendment. The Supreme Court will likely decide on the matter.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.