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Former FBI lawyer TERMINATED from Twitter for vetting 'Twitter Files' also played key role in 'Russiagate'
December 08, 2022
Elon Musk confirmed that Twitter deputy general counsel and former FBI lawyer James "Jim" Baker has been terminated from Twitter after he vetted the initial batch of "Twitter Files" without Musk’s knowledge.
According to journalist Matt Taibbi, who has released the first batch of "Twitter Files" on Substack along with a viral Twitter thread about them on Friday, Baker was also heavily involved in the Russiagate scandals. Taibbi detailed some of his findings in a follow-up thread.
\u201cWe can now tell you part of the reason why. On Tuesday, Twitter Deputy General Counsel (and former FBI General Counsel) Jim Baker was fired. Among the reasons? Vetting the first batch of \u201cTwitter Files\u201d \u2013 without knowledge of new management.\u201d— Matt Taibbi (@Matt Taibbi) 1670362733
\u201cOver the weekend, while we both dealt with obstacles to new searches, it was @BariWeiss who discovered that the person in charge of releasing the files was someone named Jim. When she called to ask \u201cJim\u2019s\u201d last name, the answer came back: \u201cJim Baker.\u201d\u201d— Matt Taibbi (@Matt Taibbi) 1670362733
\u201c@bariweiss The first batch of files both reporters received was marked, \u201cSpectra Baker Emails.\u201d\u201d— Matt Taibbi (@Matt Taibbi) 1670362733
\u201c@bariweiss The news that Baker was reviewing the \u201cTwitter files\u201d surprised everyone involved, to say the least. New Twitter chief Elon Musk acted quickly to \u201cexit\u201d Baker Tuesday.\u201d— Matt Taibbi (@Matt Taibbi) 1670362733
\u201c@bariweiss Reporters resumed searches through Twitter Files material \u2013 a lot of it \u2013 today. The next installment of \u201cThe Twitter Files\u201d will appear @bariweiss. Stay tuned.\u201d— Matt Taibbi (@Matt Taibbi) 1670362733
On "The News & Why It Matters," BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales, along with chief researcher Jason Buttrill and actor Matthew Marsden, discussed Baker's long history of scandals through the FBI and what today's FBI has in common with "political commissars" from the Soviet Union.
Watch the video below to catch the conversation on "The News & Why It Matters" or find full episodes here. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.
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BlazeTV Staff
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