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Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has accused the Biden administration of colluding with Big Tech platforms to censor information during the pandemic.
In May, Landry and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit alleging that the Biden administration coerces private companies to censor speech.
Now, Landry is speaking out against the administration’s efforts to force its transgenderism agenda on school districts.
“The government colluded with and encouraged the Big Tech platforms to be able to censor information that was vitally necessary to the American people during the pandemic,” Landry said on the John Solomon Reports podcast.
He continued, “And now we see that same administration going after our school districts, trying to force them to allow boys in girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms. It’s just outrageous.”
Landry concluded by saying that the administration’s actions are “not only a violation of privacy and safety,” but also “a clear violation of the First Amendment.”
In an interview with Fox News, AG Landry said that the administration is “trying to bully” private companies into toeing the government line on these issues.
Landry pointed to a recent lawsuit filed by his office against the Biden administration as an example of this. The suit alleges that the administration is violating the First Amendment by pressuring private companies to censor conservative speech.
Big Tech companies like Google or Facebook “say we’re a private company, we can censor anything we want, we get a right to regulate what’s on our platform,” Landry explained. “But if the government is involved in doing that, well, then they become a government actor. And that’s what that suit’s about.”
Last month, a federal judge in Louisiana granted discovery in the case, allowing the plaintiffs to subpoena information from Big Tech companies and the Biden administration.
Landry said he hopes the case will force the administration to back off its “unconstitutional” policies.
“We’re hopeful that this case will put a stop to it, that the Biden administration will realize they can’t just bully people into submission,” he said. “That’s not how our system works.”
In the case of the former vice president, two attorneys general from Louisiana and North Dakota have served subpoenas on senior Biden administration officials. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and would-be Homeland Security Department head Nina Jankowicz are among them.
A variety of subpoenas have also been received from various high-tech firms, including Twitter, Meta, Youtube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
The Louisiana AG’s office is investigating whether the Biden administration and these tech companies violated the First Amendment by censoring conservatives. They are also looking into whether the Biden administration’s transgenderism policies violate the rights of Louisiana residents.
AG Landry issued a statement saying, “The Biden administration and these tech companies cannot silence the voices of conservatives without consequence. We will get to the bottom of this and hold those accountable who seek to subvert our Constitution.”
He continued on transgenderism: “Those in states and school boards who don’t subscribe to this wokeism, basically they’re going to pull the nutritional program from ’em? I mean, really? It’s either starve or do it our way? I mean, what else would they would they use food as a weapon for?”
