Twitter CEO Elon Musk fired Jim Baker, the companys deputy general counsel, on Tuesday after an unconvincing explanation of the terminated employees role in the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story.
On Sunday, independent journalist Matt Taibbi posted a link to an article from attorney Jonathan Turley published in the New York Post which connected Bakers work at Twitter with his prior operations peddling the Russia hoax at the Department of Justice. In 2016, Baker was the Clinton campaigns go-to, speed-dial contact to plant false claims about Kremlin collusion and the Trump White House effort. Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann picked Baker to give junk intelligence about a purported connection between President Donald Trump and the Russian Alfa Bank.
He was effectively forced out due to his role and reportedly found himself under criminal investigation. He became a defender of the Russian investigations despite findings of biased and even criminal conduct, Turley wrote. After leaving the FBI, Twitter seemed eager to hire Baker as deputy general counsel.
The first batch of Twitter Files out on Friday revealed how Baker went on to play an instrumental role in suppressing blockbuster stories from the New York Post about Hunter Bidens laptop and the Biden family business ventures stories containing emails that implicated then-candidate Joe Biden in the dealings.
Baker soon weighed in with the same signature bias that characterized the Russian investigations, Turley wrote. Internal documents made public last week show Baker pressed colleagues at Twitter for more information that Bidens emails had been hacked.
Caution is warranted, Baker wrote, despite there never being evidence the emails were illegally hacked.
Musk responded to Taibbis post on Tuesday with the announcement that Baker had been fired.
In light of concerns about Bakers possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today, Musk wrote.
Was he asked to explain himself? inquired a user.
Yes. His explanation was unconvincing, Musk replied.
In a Twitter Files Supplemental thread, Taibbi explained that last weeks delay in publishing the first round of files was due to Baker reviewing them without new Twitter leadership knowing.
Twitter Deputy General Counsel (and former FBI General Counsel) Jim Baker was fired. Among the reasons? Vetting the first batch of Twitter Files without knowledge of new management, Taibbi wrote.
The post suggests Baker was running interference behind Musks back to minimize the fallout over the reveal of Twitters behind-the-scenes operations to elect Joe Biden in 2020.
While general counsel at the FBI, Baker was central to the agencys deep-state operations to undermine Trump as an agent of the Russian government. According to former FBI Deputy General Counsel Trisha Anderson in her testimony before House lawmakers in 2018, Baker personally reviewed and made edits to the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] warrant on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
The ex-FBI counsel would later defend the agencys conduct, telling Yahoo News that officials took seriously the uncorroborated dossier commissioned by the DNC that alleged collusion, but we didnt necessarily take it literally.
The agencys legal chief, however, took it seriously enough to sign off on warrants to spy on political opponents. At least two of the warrant applications to conduct government surveillance on Page were declared illegal by a federal judge.
Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com.
Here is the original post:
Elon Musk Fires Former FBI Lawyer Behind Russiagate Hoax
- Trump Fight On COVID Bill Shows Strength Of Conservative Populism - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Report: Infants Born Alive During Botched Abortions In Texas In 2019 - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- 8 Of The Craziest Items In The $900 Billion COVID Blue-State Bailout Bill - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- We Must Ban These Christmas Classics To Please The Wokesters - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Josh Hawley Was The Exact Sort Of Prick Youd Imagine Him To Be At Yale Law School - Above the Law [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- GOP Lawmakers Have A Point: Americans Need To Trust Elections - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- The Year Another Capitol Siege Almost Took Place on the Hill - Governing [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- I lost a law school election to Josh Hawley. I moved on then, and he should now on Trump. - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Trump Calls For Peace As Riot Roils Capitol: 'You Have To Go Home Now' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Devin Nunes Tells The Truth Until It Hurts - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Democrat Pastor Ends Congressional Prayer With 'Amen And A-Woman' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Why Georgia's May Be The Most Important Election In Recent History - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Maxine Waters: Trump Is Creating A 'Civil War' And Must Be Prosecuted - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- The Tipping Point: What Drove People To Riot At The Capitol? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Biden Calls Hawley And Cruz Nazis Who Are 'Part Of The Big Lie' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- No Police Officers Will Be Charged In Kenosha Shooting Of Jacob Blake - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Somalias 2021 elections and the threats of federalism | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Watch Obama And Clinton Support Objection To The 2005 Certification - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Ridiculing Election Fraud Concerns Will Not Make Them Go Away - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Michael Flynn And Sidney Powell Are Permanently Banned From Twitter - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Why it's time for state IT to have a 'federalist moment' - StateScoop [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Left Won't Be Satisfied Until Conservatives Smear Trump Voters As Bigots - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Facebook Will Ban And Delete All Photos And Videos Of Capitol Riots - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- The Capitol Riot Will Hurt The People Who Were Already Hurting Most - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Listen To Rush Limbaugh On The Federalist's Capitol Hill Coverage - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Georgia Confirms The Pre-Trump GOP Is Dead And Gone - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Twitter Just Nuked The Account Of The World's Biggest Critic Of Big Tech And China - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Your Monthly Reminder That Nikki Haley Is A Social-Climbing Opportunist - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Dems With COVID Voted For Pelosi, Then Blamed GOP For Infections - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Democrats Are Using The Recent Capitol Riot To Consolidate Power - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Federalist Publisher: Big Tech Colluding to Destroy Conservative Speech - WBAP News/Talk [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- The election that foreshadowed 2020 - Newsday [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Why Millennials Love To Hate Boomers And Whether It's Deserved - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Facebook And Instagram Just Permabanned The US President - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- The 2020 Election Aftermath Is Not At All Unprecedented In US History - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- To Win In The Future, Republicans Need To Move On From Trump - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- The Biggest Gun Forum Just Kicked Off The Internet Without Explanation - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Democrat Wants To Put Josh Hawley And Ted Cruz On The No-Fly List - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Andrew Yang Can't Imagine The Reality New Yorkers Face - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- A Divisive Impeachment Will Only Make Trump A Martyr - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- 'Mandalorian' Star Gina Carano Takes Us Behind The Scenes, Explains Her Politics - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- In Modern Storytelling, 'Mank' Is A Beautiful Blast From The Past - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- 8 Strategies For Exiting The Biden Years Stronger Than The Right Went In - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Why School Choice Isn't Enough To Really Improve American Education - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Disney And Marvel's 'WandaVision' Is As Fun As It Is Weird - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Unity has long been a theme, and anxiety, for new presidents - ABC News [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Attorney and Federalist Society member sounds alarm about 'progressive tide' in small towns - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Hemingway: Leaders Should Be Wary Of Post-9/11 Style Crackdown - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Illinois Dem With #MeToo History Could Be The Next State House Speaker - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Russell Crowe Is Right, If You Think 'Master And Commander' Is Boring, You Need To Grow Up - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- March For Life Cancelled As Abortion Extremist Descends On White House - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Andrew Yang Used To Champion Ideas. Now He Is A Boring Democrat - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Twitter CEO Says Censorship Will Be 'Much Bigger' Than The Trump Ban - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Dems Say GOP Lawmakers Gave 'Reconnaissance' Capitol Tours. Where's The Evidence? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- What Jefferson And Lincoln Say About National Unity In Dark Times - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- One Student's First-Person Account Of The Rally That Turned Into A Riot - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- MSNBC's Joy Reid Calls For 'De-Baathification' Of The GOP - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- A Second Trump Impeachment Ensures The GOP Will Never Be The Same - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Politico's Ben Shapiro Freakout Is An Illustration Of A Much Bigger Problem - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- The Nuclear Energy Tech Of The Past Four Years Will Blow Your Mind - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- How Big Government And Big Tech Conspire Against Voters - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Trump Set To Leave Office With A Higher Approval Rating Than Bush - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Of Course We Don't Need A 9/11-Style Commission On The Capitol Riots - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Chris Wallace: Biden's Speech Is 'Best Inaugural Address I've Ever Heard' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Column: Political Ambitions Leave Nation Struggling to Move Forward - Southern Pines Pilot [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Why Are Vaccinated Members Of Congress Still Wearing Masks? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Book excerpt: seditions and insurrections are inseparable from politics - Orange County Breeze [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Why Does Biden Have A Bust Of A Union Radical In The Oval Office? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Rand Paul: I'm Not Going To Listen To Comey, He Should Be In Prison. - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Senate Can Convict Trump After He's Out. Would That Be Prudent? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Biden, Harris Release Statement Celebrating Killing Babies In The Womb - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Why Calling China's Genocide What It Is Really Matters Federalist #3 - 2 hours ago - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- From The Tea Party To Trump: Reflections On The Eve Of Inauguration - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Poem Shows What The Left Truly Believes - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Biden Follows 'Unity' Speech With 48 Hours Of Divisive Social Policy - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- DC Elite Used National Guard As Props, Questioned Their Loyalty, Then Made Them Sleep In Parking Garage - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Reshaped By Trump, Our Institutions Will Hobble Into The Biden Era - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Things Are Beginning To Unravel On 'WandaVision' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Day One, Biden Destroys Girls' Sports With Anti-Science Executive Order - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Biden Plans To Put Big Tech In Charge Of Its Own Regulation - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]