House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is accusing YouTube of censoring former President Trump’s interview with Joe Rogan.
In a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Jordan stated that "YouTube’s decision to censor Joe Rogan’s interview with President Trump" was troubling.
He requested an immediate briefing on this issue. He specifically wants information about YouTube’s censorship and how Google Search is promoting material critical of the interview.
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— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) October 31, 2024
Jordan pointed to a New York Post report highlighting that viewers struggled to find the three-hour interview on YouTube.
"Searches on YouTube using the terms ‘Joe Rogan Trump’ or ‘Joe Rogan Donald Trump’ did not bring up Friday’s three-hour sit-down at the top of the list," he noted.
The report also mentioned that the full interview was "absent" from YouTube’s trending page the next day.
YouTube acknowledged some level of "censorship." A statement on X said, "For some searches on Monday the original 3-hour interview didn’t appear prominently." It added that users had difficulty finding the full video, but it would be more visible soon.
Jordan emphasized that "Americans deserve access to political speech, especially in the closing weeks before an election." He requested a briefing by 10:00 am on November 14, 2024.
Republicans have previously accused Google of censoring speech. The attorney general of Missouri recently announced an investigation, but Google called the claims "totally false."
As of late Wednesday, Rogan's interview with Trump has garnered over 41 million views on YouTube.