Judicial Watch announced on Wednesday that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeking records of communications between the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Big Tech about COVID-19.
Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after HHS failed to reply to a September 15, 2020, FOIA request (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Health of Human Services (No. 1:21-cv-00625)). Judicial Watch requested:
Any and all records of communication between CDC officials and/or employees and employees, agents, and/or representatives of Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube concerning, regarding, or relating to COVID-19 related content on company platforms. Such records include, but are not limited to, any advice or instructions issued on disinformation re COVID-19.
The CDC was required to respond to Judicial Watch’s request by October 29, 2020 but failed to do so.
“The public has the right to know about CDC’s involvement in Big Tech’s outrageous censorship of Americans, including doctors, who raise questions about the COVID-19 response,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The Biden administration should stop stonewalling and release the records about the CDC’s role in suppressing the free speech of Americans.”
Author: Judicial Watch
Judicial Watch, Inc., a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law. Through its educational endeavors, Judicial Watch advocates high standards of ethics and morality in our nation’s public life and seeks to ensure that political and judicial officials do not abuse the powers entrusted to them by the American people. Judicial Watch fulfills its educational mission through litigation, investigations, and public outreach. Visit Judicial Watch at https://www.judicialwatch.org/
