Senator Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., asked at a meeting about the Silicon Valley Bank bailout whether social media could be censored to prevent misinformation from getting out that could lead to a bank run, according to reports.
Michael Shellenberger, an independent journalist who covers the Twitter files and contributes to Fox News, reported that at Sunday’s meeting, Kelly asked the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department and the Federal Deposit and Insurance Corp (FDIC) about censorship measures.
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona (AP photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Members of the Republican House during the call confirmed with Shellenberger’s publication, Public on Substack, that a Democratic senator asked about censoring social media companies, including Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, although Kelly’s name was not specifically mentioned.
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“Just got out of a Zoom meeting with Fed, Treasury, FDIC, House and Senate,” Massie tweeted Sunday. “A Democratic senator essentially asked if there was a program to censor social media information that could lead to a run on the banks.”
After Shellenberger’s piece came out Monday, Massie retweeted the story, saying, “His name.”
A customer stands in front of a closed headquarters of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in Santa Clara, California on March 10, 2023. Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by California regulators Friday morning, taking control of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Rep. Dan Bishop, RN.C., confirmed with the audience that it was Kelly who asked about the censorship.
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Like Massie, Bishop retweeted Shellenberger’s post calling out Kelly.
Kelly’s camp denied the claim Monday night, saying Senator Kelly asked about foreign opponents who may have been trying to take advantage of the situation by spreading misinformation.
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Sunday’s call related to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the sudden need for a plan to deal with the fallout.
Biden officials have insisted that they have no intention of bailing out SVB’s investors and that taxpayers will not pay to reimburse bank customers.
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The bank was closed by regulators after a rush of investors withdrew money, resulting in the largest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis.
Global Courant
