Who did Elon Musk meet with in his visit to Capitol Hill? Why didn’t he meet with Democrats?

Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk has come under heavy criticism from many for how is managing the social media platform. Perhaps none more so than Democrats as he reinstates accounts that were suspended for violating policies against hate speech, harassment and spreading misinformation including that of former President Trump.

However, his moves to bring “free speech” back to the “Digital Town Square” have earned him praise from Republicans. Musk has also aligned himself with the GOP, endorsing the party for the 2022 Midterm Elections.

The new owner has also been dumping a series of what have been dubbed “The Twitter Files” attempting to show that prior to his acquisition of the company, executives colluded with Democrats through highlighting a series of institutional failures and alleged political favoritism at the company.

So, it may come as no surprise that when he visited Capitol Hill, which was not publicly announced beforehand last week, he only had scheduled meetings with GOP lawmakers for discussions focused on his acquisition of Twitter. This was break from how other tech CEOs have made their visits appear non-partisan, scheduling meetings with members of parties from both sides of the aisle.

Ensuring that Twitter is fair to both parties

According to description of his meeting with the new Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, Musk was there “to discuss ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties.” He did give the veneer of his visit being bipartisan saying that he met with both McCarthy and the Democratic Minority Leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries.

However, an aide for the latter dismissed that the encounter had been planned and that running into Musk occurred because he was there for a different meeting. A source told The Hill that McCarthy, who is good friends with Musk, had offered to introduce the tech billionaire to Jeffries and that the two briefly spoke as the Democratic House leader was leaving the Speaker’s office.

Musk meets with other GOP lawmakers

While Musk was on Capitol Hill he made the rounds to visit with GOP lawmakers that will be setting the agenda for hearings and legislation that could affect the tech sector during the 118th Congress. In another meeting he met with the No. 2 GOP House member Steve Scalise and Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers. The latter heads the panel that has substantial jurisdiction over Twitter.

Also present were Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan and Oversight Chair James Comer, who is has called former executives from the social media platform to testify about their handling of a news story about Hunter Biden’s laptop. Digging into matter involving President Biden’s son will be one of the key lines of attack on the Administration. The hearing will take place 8 February, but Musk has not been ordered to attend.