Musk meets House leaders as Republicans ready Twitter probe
Twitter owner Elon Musk said he spoke with the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House of Representatives, as lawmakers prepare to dig into his social media platform’s operation under his predecessors.
Mr. Musk is looking to forge better relationships between his company and lawmakers and acknowledged chatting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The overture from the billionaire tech entrepreneur comes as congressional investigators are probing Twitter including from the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
“Just met with @SpeakerMcCarthy & @RepJeffries to discuss ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties,” Mr. Musk said via Twitter on Thursday evening.
Mr. McCarthy was mum on his discussion with Mr. Musk upon leaving the meeting and told reporters that Mr. Musk came to wish him a happy birthday. An aide for Mr. Jeffries downplayed the rendezvous to Politico and described the gathering as more of an informal run-in.
Mr. Musk’s trip to Capitol Hill comes ahead of expected testimony from more ex-Twitter executives. House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman James Comer, Kentucky Republican, sent letters earlier this month requesting testimony from Twitter’s former top legal officer Vijaya Gadde, former deputy general counsel James Baker, and former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth.
A hearing featuring the former Twitter officials’ testimony is expected next month. The committee is eyeing Feb. 8 for a hearing involving Twitter’s restriction of news involving Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, before the 2020 election, according to CNN.
