(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) The latest Twitter Files release landed Tuesday with another bombshell, revealing more sinister links between government officials and Big Tech leftists and expanding on the intricate and widespread collusion and collaboration that propelled the FBI into a de facto social media clearing house for demands to censor posts, ban accounts and punish any narrative that ran counter to prevailing regime dictums.
The latest batch was uncorked in a Twitter thread from journalist Matt Taibbi, released by Chief Twit Elon Musk, and titled “Twitter and the FBI Belly Button,” which ignited a firestorm of responses about the gross level of overreach by regime officials in efforts to silence critics and political enemies.
“By 2020, the moderation machine was a high-speed, formalized information highway, with federal and international requests passed through the FBI via Signal and Teleporter, and domestic asks funneled upward through Homeland Security mechanisms like HISN,” Taibbi wrote in summary of the thread on his Substack.
The FBI and DHS eventually didn’t even bother asking Twitter about censorship possibilities, “and soon simply sent long lists with the expectation of fulfillment,” Taibbi wrote. “If Twitter didn’t act fast enough, they got quick follow up emails from the Bureau. ‘Was action taken…? We wanted to get process served.’ Or: ‘Any movement?’
“Working through the ‘belly button,’ Twitter was an involuntary subcontractor. And an underpaid one,” he wrote.
The unholy alliance took root during the early 2020 pandemic outbreak, when the Global Engagement Center – a fledgling analytic/intelligence arms of the State Department – went to the media with a report called, ‘Russian Disinformation Apparatus Taking Advantage of Coronavirus Concerns,’” Taibbi reported.
“GEC flagged accounts as ‘Russian personas and proxies’ based on criteria like, ‘Describing the Coronavirus as an engineered bioweapon,’ blaming ‘research conducted at the Wuhan institute,’ and ‘attributing the appearance of the virus to the CIA,’” he wrote.
The targeting extended to specific media outlets and narratives that didn’t meet regime requirements.
6.The GEC still led directly to news stories like the AFP’s headline, “Russia-linked disinformation campaign led to coronavirus alarm, US says,” and a Politico story about how “Russian, Chinese, Iranian Disinformation Narratives Echo One Another.” pic.twitter.com/iLEZVJ19rH
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 3, 2023
When Twitter executives reportedly tried to slow down the collusion express, the FBI stepped in to point out the error of their ways.
18.After spending years rolling over for Democratic Party requests for “action” on “Russia-linked” accounts, Twitter was suddenly playing tough. Why? Because, as Roth put it, it would pose “major risks” to bring the GEC in, “especially as the election heats up.” pic.twitter.com/tAd6lVh2KH
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 3, 2023
The FBI proposed that they and Homeland Security would act as “conduit” for other agencies social media interactions.
Twitter’s Yoel Roth, since fired, who previously said he saw the State Department’s activity as an attempt to “insert themselves” into content moderation, suggested that the FBI act as the “belly button” to coordinate interested agencies.
24.They eventually settled on an industry call via Signal. In an impressive display of operational security, Chan circulated private numbers of each company’s chief moderation officer in a Word Doc marked “Signal Phone Numbers,” subject-lined, “List of Numbers.” pic.twitter.com/5pTq7sfshh
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 3, 2023
At which point the flood gates opened and demands from myriad Biden regime agencies poured through, pushing for the censorship and punishment of political enemies and narrative rebels, including one punitive demand from Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., which even caused Twitter to balk.
“Twitter was taking requests from every conceivable government body, beginning with the Senate Intel Committee (SSCI), which seemed to need reassurance Twitter was taking FBI direction. Execs rushed to tell ‘Team SSCI’ they zapped five accounts on an FBI tip,” Taibbi reported.
28.“WE DON’T DO THIS” Even Twitter declined to honor Schiff’s request at the time. Sperry was later suspended, however. pic.twitter.com/9PX2Zw5Nzj
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 3, 2023
The Twitter Files’ “Belly Button” thread was released with another thread from Taibbi called “How Twitter Let the Intelligence Community In,” which revealed more documented egregious collaboration between Twitter and anti-Trump factions, including government agencies colluding with Hillary Clinton’s campaign, leading up to the presidential election and the bogus Russia collusion hoax.
Latest @ElonMusk @Twitter files are another devastating blow to fake Russia-Trump collusion story. Docs show no material Russia on-line presence to impact ANYTHING. Docs show Dems in Congress, taking their cues from Hillary, desperately sought evidence to dispute 2016 election.
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) January 3, 2023
