What has Governor DeSantis said about the Hunter Biden case?
“Give me a break. You can whiz on my leg but don't tell me it's raining.” Florida Gov. DeSantis hit out in debate over laptop hacked emails.
In a speech Tuesday about big tech and censorship, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also hit out at media coverage over a hacked story surrounding President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
A matter of weeks after Donald Trump’s Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram accounts were removed by the social media companies for inciting a deadly riot at the Capitol on 6 January, DeSantis announced a piece of legislation from Florida’s government called the Transparency in Technology Act.
As well as Trump, other Republican figures have also been banned from Twitter, including QAnon conspiracy theorist and House representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mike Lindell, the MyPillow company executive.
DeSantis: big tech "nameless, faceless, boards of censors"
Addressing press Tuesday from Tallahassee, Florida Governor DeSantis – flanked by other leaders in Florida’s legislature - said that "big tech has come to look more like big brother with each passing day." He called out Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple and Amazon for being "nameless, faceless boards of censors."
"These platforms have changed from neutral platforms that provided Americans with the freedom to speak to enforcers of preferred narratives," DeSantis said.
The Governor said he believes social media has played an "increasingly decisive role in elections and negatively impacted Americans who dissent from orthodoxy favoured by the big tech cartel."
What did Ron DeSantis say about Hunter Biden?
During the press conference, Governor DeSantis pushed back during some fiery exchanges with reporters over the unfounded allegation that world media did not run Hunter Biden email stories because they were inclined to censor criticism over the President’s son.
"The Hunter Biden story was true. The typical corporate media outlets chose to ignore it. They wanted to beat Trump," DeSantis said, saying the New York Post story about the claims "couldn't get any traction."
DeSantis dismissed the defence that the Hunter Biden story was inadmissible because it was based on hacked information.
"You're trying to tell me if there's hacked information that could damage me, you guys wouldn't print it," DeSantis said. "Give me a break. You can whiz on my leg but don't tell me it's raining. You guys would print it every single day if you could. And big tech would allow it to proliferate 24/7."
The New York Post claimed to have had access to emails gleaned from a MacBook laptop, supposedly belonging to Hunter Biden, that was dropped off at a Delaware computer repair shop in April 2019 and never reclaimed.
What will be included in Florida legislation?
The Governor said the legislation would introduce a slew of changes including a daily fine of $100,000 for big tech companies for they deplatforming a candidate for elected office in Florida, payable each day until the account were to be reinstated.
"Florida consumers deserve protection for their privacy. With the help of our legislative partners, we're going to stand together in support of Floridians and put a stop to big tech's practice of praying on consumers. Your privacy is important," DeSantis said.
"The message is loud and clear. When it comes to elections in Florida, big tech should stay out of it," DeSantis said.