(Washington Examiner) A Louisiana-based federal judge ruled that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Dr. Anthony Fauci will have to turn over emails sent to social media companies on the subject of censorship and misinformation of online content.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who are both Republicans, filed a lawsuit in May accusing President Joe Biden‘s administration of working in tandem with social media companies to suppress free speech, with specific allegations tied to information regarding elections and COVID-19.
The attorneys general have been deliberating for months with the White House over which documents need to be shown in the lawsuit. On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty ruled the Biden administration must hand over Fauci’s and Jean-Pierre’s relevant emails within 21 days despite objections from the Justice Department, which cited executive privilege and presidential communications privilege.
“This Court believes Plaintiffs are entitled to external communications by Jean-Pierre and Dr. Fauci in their capacities as White House Press Secretary and Chief Medical Advisor to the President to third-party social media platforms. The White House has waived its claim of privilege in relation to specific documents that it voluntarily revealed to third parties outside the White House,” Doughty, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, wrote.
