(NewsNation) — Mark Zuckerberg said Instagram and Facebook chose to “censor” content relating to the COVID-19 pandemic on social media platforms after facing pressure from the Biden administration.
In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, Zuckerberg made the revelation and added his social media platforms also “demoted” stories regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop.
“We made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today,” Zuckerberg wrote.
Zuckerberg said the White House “repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire, and expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn’t agree.”
While noting it was a decision made by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Zuckerberg added: “I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it.”
“I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any administration in either direction — and we’re ready to push back if something like this happens again.”
Zuckerberg’s comments follow investigations from the House Judiciary Committee into Meta’s content moderation standards. The Meta founder’s comments are a win for conservatives who have long argued social media has favored the Democratic Party.
In response to Zuckerberg’s letter, the House Judiciary tweeted it was “a big win for free speech.”
“Mark Zuckerberg just admitted three things: 1. Biden-Harris Admin ‘pressured’ Facebook to censor Americans. 2. Facebook censored Americans. 3. Facebook throttled the Hunter Biden laptop story,” the post read.
Former President Donald Trump responded to the news gleefully on his Truth Social platform Tuesday morning.
“Zuckerberg admits that the White House pushed to SUPPRESS HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY (& much more!),” Trump said. “IN OTHER WORDS, THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WAS RIGGED.”
Meanwhile, The White House defended its position in a statement to Politico.
“When confronted with a deadly pandemic, this Administration encouraged responsible actions to protect public health and safety,” it read.
“Our position has been clear and consistent: We believe tech companies and other private actors should take into account the effects their actions have on the American people, while making independent choices about the information they present.”