Conservatives blame McCarthy for Twitter getting before favorable committee
House conservatives are blaming Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for Twitter’s decision to have its founder publicly testify before the Energy and Commerce Committee instead of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where a number of conservative members sit.
The far-right Freedom Caucus and its allies argued that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was likely to get a more favorable reception from the Energy and Commerce panel in comparison to Oversight, which counts Freedom Caucus leaders Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) among its members.
“The majority leader talks tough on tech then sends [Dorsey] to the friendly confines of the industry-friendly Energy & Commerce Committee,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who says he has been unfairly censored on social media, told The Hill.
Gaetz, who is not a Freedom Caucus member, said that when he complained to McCarthy, the leader told him he should trust the members of the other panel.
“I had a discussion with him about this. He told me to trust my colleagues more,” Gaetz said.
In a brief interview in the Capitol, McCarthy downplayed the spat and said it was clear that Energy and Commerce had jurisdiction over communications and technology issues, especially when it pertains to broad-based consumer issues. The Energy and Commerce Committee also has its own oversight and investigative subcommittee.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/405228-conservatives-blame-mccarthy-for-twitter-getting-before-favorable-committee
