Democrats press social media platforms over FBI threats

House Democrats asked social media platforms to turn over information about threats to federal law enforcement officials and how they combat the violent posts, according to letters sent to eight companies Friday. 

House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) demanded Meta, Twitter, TikTok, Truth Social, Rumble, Gettr, Telegram and Gab respond with details about their policies and data on the threats. 

The request comes after researchers have identified an uptick in violent posts targeting FBI agents since the search at former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. 

In the letter, the Democrats cited incendiary posts from their GOP colleagues that have accused the Department of Justice of being “weaponized” against Trump and called to “defund” the FBI. 

“The Committee strongly supports the First Amendment rights of all Americans to speak out about the actions of their government and law enforcement matters, including on social media platforms. However, threats and incitements of deadly violence are unacceptable and against the law,” the Democrats wrote.

“The Committee is seeking to understand how your company responds when users post threats against law enforcement, how your company plans to prevent your platform from being used to incite violence against law enforcement personnel, and whether legislative reform is necessary to protect law enforcement personnel and increase coordination with federal authorities,” they added. 

They also said that the violent posts from users calling for civil war and violence toward federal law enforcement has “already led to” attacks, noting the attempted breach at an FBI field office in Cincinnati.

The lawmakers are asking the companies to respond to detailed questions about the threats and their policies by Sept. 2.