Twitter is suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) for trying to prevent his office from allegedly retaliating against the company for his decision to remove former President Trump
Donald Trump Trump promises ‘No more money for RINOS’ but instead encourages donations to his PAC. Federal judge rules ‘QAnon shaman’ too dangerous to be released from prison Pelosi says Capitol riot was one of the most difficult moments of her career MORE from the platform.
Politico first made mention of the lawsuit filed in Northern California on Monday evening. The lawsuit accuses Paxton of using the powers of his elected office to retaliate against the company for what it called a protected decision under the First Amendment.
The Hill has reached out to Twitter and the Texas Attorney General for comment.
“Paxton made it clear that he will use the full weight of his office, including his extensive investigative powers, to retaliate against Twitter for making editorial decisions he disagrees with,” Twitter lawyers said in court documents, Politico said. .
Twitter is trying to prevent AG Paxton from unlawfully abusing its authority as the Texas State’s top law enforcement officer to intimidate, harass and retaliate Twitter for exercising its rights to the First Amendment, they said. Politico. .
The lawsuit revolves around Paxton’s vow to investigate Twitter for his decision to ban Trump from the platform in the wake of the deadly breach on the Capitol in January. Paxton sent a civil investigation to the company in mid-January asking for information on the ban, the Texas Tribune reported.
Twitter permanently suspended Trump’s account on Jan. 8, two days after the riot, explaining at the time that two of the president’s tweets sent in response to the riot could be interpreted as condoning violence.
Due to ongoing tensions in the United States and a resurgence in the global conversation regarding the people who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, these two Tweets should be read in the context of wider events in the country and the ways in which the president’s statements could be mobilized by a variety of audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior presented in this report over the past few weeks, “the company said at the time.