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GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz follows up with FEC complaint over Twitter shadow-banning
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), shown here in a file photo, filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against Twitter after the social media giant shadowed his account. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz follows up with FEC complaint over Twitter shadow-banning

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has filed a Federal Elections Commission complaint over Twitter’s shadow-banning of conservatives, according to published reports.

What did he say??

Appearing Friday on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Gatez said:

I’m certain there were only four members of Congress who had their voices suppressed on Twitter: Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan Mark Meadows, and Devin Nunes. That would be one hell of a coincidence. My suspicion is that if people were effectively communicating a conservative message, they got caught in Twitter’s troll trap. The reason that I think that is illegal is because it gives advantages to our political opponents. It gives them access to the platform that we don’t have.

If Twitter was a billboard company and they gave Democrats access to their billboards and not Republicans, that would be an illegal corporate donation to the campaigns of Democrats. Here, instead of the billboard, it’s the auto fill-in function that’s a part of Twitter’s search feature that wasn’t available to me, Devin Nunes, Mark Meadows or Jim Jorden. And it’s available to Democrats.

Gaetz said he believes the FEC can impose fines “just like they can institute fines and punish against any company that illegally makes a corporate donation to a political campaign.”

Twitter attempted to explain the ban Thursday by writing in a blog post wrote in a blog post that it does not “shadow ban” but uses ranking models that consider “many signals” to organize tweets.

What led to this?

TheBlaze previously reported that Gaetz said he felt “victimized and violated” by the platform. He said through a spokesman that he has seen a significant decrease in followers and retweets.

“It’s really frustrating to think that the marketplace of ideas couldn’t accommodate the thoughts and musings that I contribute,” Gaetz said.

Vice News reported Wednesday on Twitter's apparent shadow-banning of prominent conservative voices.

Gaetz’s bio on Twitter describes him as "The Trumpiest congressman in Trump’s Washington, says @GQmagazine."

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