Republicans Congressman Devin Nunes, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that the Justice Department should launch an investigation into tech companies’ efforts to remove Parler from their platforms.
Nunes made his comments on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Nunes calls for a RICO investigation of the Parler crackdown: "I don't know where the hell the DOJ is at right now, or the FBI. This is clearly a violation of antitrust, civil rights, the RICO statute — there should be a racketeering investigation."
— Jan Wolfe (@JanNWolfe) January 10, 2021
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Nunes On Parler Ban: ‘It’s Far Worse Than What I Could Even Imagine’
“Well, Maria, when I wrote that book, I was hoping to warn Americans so that they would vote right and that maybe this wouldn’t happen and this could be prevented,” Nunes told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo.
Nunes said the move by Big Tech violated antitrust laws, civil rights and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
“Unfortunately, it’s far worse than what I could even imagine,” Nunes said. “The effect of this is that there is no longer a free and open social media company or site for any American to get on any longer, because these big companies, Apple, Amazon, Google, they have just destroyed a — what was likely — Parler is likely a billion-dollar company.”
“Poof, it’s gone,” he added.
Devin Nunes, who hasn't been active on Twitter in a month, says on Parler: "We may not be able to communicate soon." pic.twitter.com/DetXW0RODi
— Daniel Chaitin (@danielchaitin7) January 9, 2021
‘This Is Clearly A Violation Of Antitrust’
Nunes then stressed that conservatives need to have the same social media abilities that non-conservatives enjoys.
“But it’s more than just the financial aspect to that,” Nunes explained. “Republicans have no way to communicate.”
“If — and it doesn’t even matter if you’re a Republican or conservative,” he continued.
“If you don’t want to be regulated by left-wingers that are at Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, where you get shadowbanned, nobody gets to see you — nobody gets to see you, they get to decide what’s violent or not violent, it’s preposterous,” Nunes said.
Nunes then cited the violation of antitrust laws.
“So, I don’t know where the hell the Department of Justice is at right now or the FBI,” Nunes said. “This is clearly a violation of antitrust, civil rights, the RICO statute.”
Nunes on Fox: I have three million followers on Parler..I will no longer be able to communicate with those people…I went there because I knew that I could express my thoughts freely.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 10, 2021
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Nunes Denounces ‘Attack’ On Parler And Conservatives Being Able To Operate On Social Media
“There should be a racketeering investigation on all the people that coordinated this attack on not only a company but on all of those like us, like me, like you, Maria. I have 3 million followers on Parler,” he added.
“Tonight, I will no longer be able to communicate with those people,” Nunes lamented. “And they’re Americans.”