FBI accuses 'conspiracy theorists' of weaponizing Twitter Files

Source: (https://bit.ly/3FTeFHf)
Correspondence between the FBI and senior Twitter staff, revealing
how the agency pressured the platform to suppress certain narratives,
is not evidence of wrongdoing, the Bureau said in a statement on
Wednesday, adding that "conspiracy theorists" are presenting their
activities in a nefarious light.
The files turned over to journalists by Twitter CEO Elon Musk "show
nothing more than examples of our tradition, longstanding and ongoing
federal government and private sector engagements," the FBI statement
claims.
"It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are feeding the
American public misinformation with the sole purpose of attempting
to discredit the agency," the statement concludes, reminding its critics
that "the men and women of the FBI work every day to protect the
American public."
Messages appearing to show FBI agents pressuring Twitter staff to
classify legitimate stories such as the Hunter Biden laptop
revelations as foreign influence operations are, according to the
Bureau merely examples of the FBI "provid[ing] critical information
to the private sector in an effort to allow them to protect themselves
and their customers." Internal communications among platform
employees suggest otherwise.
In communications published as part of the Twitter Files, staff
repeatedly point out there is "no evidence" to substantiate FBI
claims of foreign disinformation and express discomfort with the
bureau's meddling. Twitter's former policy director observed
a "sustained (if uncoordinated) effort by the IC [intelligence
community]" to push Twitter to share more information against its
own policies, while the FBI ultimately paid Twitter more than $3.5
million in taxpayer dollars to prioritize its censorship requests.
The White House has thus far refused to comment on the Twitter
Files, referring reporters to the FBI, and the media establishment
have largely ignored them. However, former Republican congressman
Ron Paul argued they are proof the FBI colluded with Twitter to
deprive Americans of their constitutional right to free speech.
A lawsuit filed earlier this year by the attorneys general of
Missouri and Louisiana alleges that the FBI was not alone, and that
officials from no fewer than 12 government agencies met weekly with
representatives of Twitter, Facebook, and other Big Tech firms to
decide which narratives and users to censor, with topics ranging from
alleged election interference to Covid-19.