Republican lawmakers cheered an offer by Tesla CEO Elon Musk to buy Twitter on Thursday, arguing that a purchase by the billionaire would reinstate free speech on the platform following its moves to moderate harmful content.
Musk offered to buy Twitter for $43 billion, according to a letter to the social media company’s Chairman Brett Taylor that was disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Wednesday.
The letter detailed that Musk would buy the platform for $54.20 a share. Twitter later confirmed Thursday that it had received a proposal from the tech mogul.
The move came shortly after Musk reversed course and turned down a seat on the company’s Board of Directors.
On Thursday, House conservatives lauded Musk’s offer.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a fierce defender of former President Trump, said he would like to see Twitter accept the billionaire’s offer.
“This is the public square today, these social — these big tech platforms. This is where we have debate in our culture and in our country today. So, let’s have someonme in charge who actually respects the First Amendment and free speech,” Jordan said on Fox Business.
He went on to say that the left engages in cancel culture on the platform, adding that’s “not how it works in America.”
“Elon Musk understands that,” he concluded.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), a conservative firebrand echoed Jordan’s sentiments, saying that Musk understands that “free speech is worth fighting for.”
“I hope Twitter’s board sees the light. If they reject his offer, the company’s stock will likely never recover,” she tweeted.
Musk’s potential involvement in Twitter over the past month has raised concerns among progressive activists, tech executives and scholars that the platform could become a more hostile environment as a result.
The billionaire has, in the past, been critical of the platform and argued that it has strayed away from principles of free speech.
Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Troy Nehls (R-Texas) also voiced their support for the purchase.
“Make Twitter Great Again!,” Nehls tweeted, alluding to Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”
Big Tech companies like Twitter and Facebook have taken heat from both Democrats and Republicans over their content moderation policies.
Democrats have argued in the past that the platforms are not doing enough to moderate misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, its treatments and hate speech.
Following the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, Twitter banned Trump permanently from its site, and has implemented other content moderation strategies to mitigate hate speech and misinformation.
Republicans have argued that the website is impinging on users’ First Amendment rights. Both Democrats and Republicans have also sought to hold social media giants accountable by amending Section 230 of the Communications and Decency Act, which allows them a liability shield for third-party content posted to their websites.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal account (R-Ga.) was also suspended from Twitter permanently for violating its misinformation policies.
However, on Thursday she defended Musk through her lawmaker account over concern that he would change the platform so that “anything goes.”
“Kill freedom of speech to save democracy? Say you’re a communist. Just say it. You’re actually scared of people freely discussing ideas and saying words. You’re terrified of the impact on politics when truth isn’t censored. I’m offended by your weakness,” she said.
Former Rep. Justin Amash, who in 2019 announced he was leaving the Republican Party and later became a Libertarian, also chimed in Thursday, tweeting that Musk buying Twitter “may be the best thing to happen to social media in years. The algorithm promotes audience capture and drives people toward extremes. It’s biased in favor of furthering biases. Taking the company private curtails incentives that impair free discourse.”