House GOP leader accuses tech companies of anti-conservative bias

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is calling out social media and technology giants over what he sees as anti-conservative bias.

On Tuesday night, McCarthy, a leading candidate to replace retiring Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), tweeted a video from a speech in which he lashes out at Amazon, Facebook and Twitter, accusing them of trying to censor conservatives.

{mosads}“Social media is being rigged to censor conservative voices. We will not be silenced,” the No. 2 House Republican wrote in the tweet.

McCarthy, whose district is in Southern California, frequently turns to Silicon Valley for campaign contributions. Corporate PACs for Facebook, Google and Amazon have all given him $5,000 each since 2017.

Social media is being rigged to censor conservative voices. We will not be silenced. #StopTheBias pic.twitter.com/vrxervxswL

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) May 30, 2018

In his video, McCarthy references an incident where Amazon removed a conservative organization that had been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center from a program that allows users to donate a portion of their purchases to a charity organization of their choice. He also noted an episode last year where Twitter briefly blocked an anti-abortion campaign ad from Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

“Facebook is proud to be a platform for all ideas,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “We do not suppress content on the basis of political viewpoint or prevent people from seeing what matters most to them because doing so would be directly contrary to Facebook’s mission and our business objectives.”

Spokespeople for Amazon and Twitter were not immediately able to comment.

Congressional Republicans often attack Silicon Valley over its socially liberal leanings, but it’s rare for such a high-ranking GOP member to target the industry.

McCarthy, whom Ryan has endorsed to succeed him as Speaker, has pushed back on reports that he is seeking to take the gavel before the Wisconsin Republican retires after the November midterms.