CNN
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Twitter and Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday evening at the Congressional Building in the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
McCarthy left his meeting with Musk in his office, declining to comment beyond saying, “He came to my birthday.” The California Republican turned 58 on Thursday.
After the meeting, Musk wrote on Twitter that he met with McCarthy and Jeffries to “discuss making sure this platform is fair to both parties.”
Jeffreys met with McCarthy in part to receive a law enforcement briefing on Capitol Hill preparations in the event of protests after the video of his arrest was released Friday, according to a source familiar with the matter. Tire Nicholswho died after a traffic stop earlier this month.
Musk later arrived for a separate meeting with McCarthy — and Jeffries had a brief affair with the billionaire businessman. A Twitter thread came up, but the source wouldn’t elaborate.
Jeffries left shortly after, while McCarthy stayed with Musk until the speaker went to vote, the source said.
The meeting between Musk and congressional leaders comes as the House Oversight Committee plans to hold hearings next month on Twitter and its handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story. House GOP conference members have promised tighter controls on big tech and social media platforms, which they accuse of conservative censorship.
The panel has invited three former Twitter employees to testify and is in active discussions with the trio to appear before the committee, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Sources said the committee is looking at February 8 as a potential target date for hearings.
Twitter’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story has been the subject of a so-called Twitter Files report, corporate communications released by Musk and his team at Twitter to select reporters. The Twitter Files showed how the company’s moderation team struggled to manage the initial stories surrounding the saga. While the initial stories were blocked or taken down, the company quickly reversed course and allowed them to be posted and discussed on the platform.
Musk has gained a reputation as a polarizing figure in the tech industry and for his political views. In recent months, he has often exchanged views on the politics and political landscape of the United States in front of the public. Musk said he has voted for Democrats and Republicans in the past, but recently leans toward conservatives and identifies as a Republican.
The meeting comes amid a political shift in Washington after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January and elected McCarthy as speaker.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
