The latest Twitter Files, released by independent journalist Matt Taibbi, shine a harsh light on Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. and former chief of the House Intel Commission..Taibbi reports Schiff’s staff asked Twitter to take down damning tweets on a regular basis, including a demand sent in November 2020 to take action regarding "alleged harassment from QAnon conspiracists" against Schiff's staff, including aide Sean Misko. Schiff's office even fought to have unflattering pictures removed. ."This important use of taxpayer resources involved an ask about a ‘Peter Douche’ parody photo of Joe Biden. The DNC made the same request," Taibbi wrote, adding the "real issue was Donald Trump retweeted" the unflattering Biden photo.."To its credit, Twitter refused to remove it, with Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth saying it had obvious ‘humorous intent’ and ‘any reasonable observer’ (apparently, not a Schiff staffer) could see it was doctored." .But Schiff staffers "didn't give up" and continued to urge Twitter to remove the photo. ."Twitter also refused requests for bans of content about Schiff and his staff, e.g. ‘complete suppress[ion of] any and all search results about Mr. Misko and other Committee staffers.’ Twitter said this would not be ‘conceivable,’" says Taibbi..Taibbi disclosed documents revealing how Twitter engaged in censorship and promoted disinformation in tandem with government agencies for the past few years, including a demand to remove journalist Paul Sperry and others from the site. .Sperry, a senior reporter for RealClearInvestigations.com and a New York Post columnist, told Fox's Brian Kilmeade he was targeted by Schiff because of his reporting on Democrat sources in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial.."My stories went viral on Twitter, and (Schiff) tried to silence me and remove content, which is outrageous censorship by a powerful government official,” Sperry told Kilmeade. “He was the head of the House Intelligence [Committee] at the time, and he was sworn to protect the First Amendment and free speech and the press.".In response to Schiff’s office demanding Twitter remove "any and all content" as well as "quotes, retweets, and reactions to that content" concerning its staff members, Twitter flat-out refused..A Twitter staffer responded, "no, this isn’t feasible/we don’t do this.".Sperry was later suspended from Twitter for unrelated reasons, telling conservative commentator Glenn Beck in August 2022 it was due to tweets about the FBI’s raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence..Sperry was reinstated to Twitter this week, saying he has not received a legitimate reason for his suspension, and argued he hadn't broken any of the company's rules..He said Schiff's interference affected his ability to do his job for two years, and he is looking at taking legal action against Schiff.."We are exploring legal options, including defamation," he told Kilmeade. "So, Schiff didn't like the fact I outed his anonymous whistleblower as a partisan Democrat. He's a holdover from the Obama White House working in the Trump White House.”.“And [Schiff] also didn't like the fact I exposed the whistleblower's prior relationship with the key member of Schiff's impeachment staff," Sperry said. "So, I was kind of a thorn in Schiff's side, and he was angry.".Reacting to the news that Joe Biden stored classified documents at the Penn Bien Center, Sperry told Kilmeade, “there was a double standard for Biden compared to Trump.”
