Jim Baker, a former FBI agent and Twitter lawyer known for his role in censoring election-related free speech, has joined the National Task Force for Election Crises. The timing of his appointment, ahead of the 2024 presidential election, has raised significant concerns about potential election interference.
The task force, which claims to work on securing elections and preventing fraud, emphasizes rapid censorship of disinformation. Baker’s involvement is particularly controversial given his previous coordination of censorship between federal agencies and Big Tech companies like Twitter. His bio on the task force site highlights his career achievements but omits his controversial role in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 election.
In a 2023 congressional hearing, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) grilled Baker on Twitter’s actions during the 2020 election. Despite his involvement in Twitter’s censorship policies, Baker repeatedly claimed ignorance, which did little to ease concerns about his integrity.
MRC President Brent Bozell argued that Twitter’s censorship efforts were designed to benefit Joe Biden’s campaign. An MRC poll suggested that 9.4% of Biden voters might have reconsidered their vote had they been aware of the Hunter Biden scandal.
Baker’s new role on the National Task Force for Election Crises, given his past actions, has sparked fears that he might continue to influence election outcomes under the pretext of preventing disinformation.
