Should the party win back the majority this fall, a group of 18 House Republicans want the board to preserve all records related to Musk's offer to buy the company.
In letters shared exclusively with CNBC, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee asked the board to preserve any messages from official or personal accounts that relate to the consideration of Musk's offer.
As Congress continues to examine Big Tech and how to best protect Americans' free speech rights, this letter serves as a formal request that you preserve all records and materials relating to Musk's offer to purchase Twitter.
You should use this preservation notice as an instruction to take all reasonable steps to prevent the destruction or alteration of all documents, communications, and other information that is or may be responsive to this.
If the Republicans take back the majority in the House in the upcoming elections, they may launch an investigation into the social media company, especially if they don't take the offer from Musk. The House Judiciary Committee has the power to subpoena the board's internal deliberations.
It is not the first time that the internet has caught the attention of Republican lawmakers.
The platform has become a focal point for some conservative members who believe that the platform is being used to unfairly remove or moderate posts on ideological grounds. According to the company, it enforces standards based on its community guidelines.
In a letter to Taylor dated Friday, the lawmakers wrote that the decisions regarding the future governance of Twitter will be consequential for public discourse in the United States and could lead to renewed efforts to legislate in furtherance of preserving free expression online. The Board's reactions to Musk's offer to purchase Twitter and outsider opposition to him are concerning.
The New York Post story about Joe Biden's son, Hunter, trying to get a job at a company that his father worked for became the focus of Republican criticism when they blocked links to it. The publication said that no such meeting ever took place and that the Post never asked the Biden campaign about the critical elements of the story.
At the time, it was said that it was blocked because it violated its hacked materials policy and included personal information like email addresses. Jack Dorsey said it was wrong to block links to the story, and that the policy had been updated to reflect that. Many on the right felt that the company unfairly blocked the story on ideological grounds.
A person who answered the phone was not available for comment.
The letters to the board members are here.
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