Bailey said Media Matters’ “alleged effort to engage in coordinated, inauthentic behavior on social media platforms in order to generate false statements that were used to solicit charitable contributions under false pretenses” deserves further scrutiny. He demanded the propaganda organization hand over any internal communications and documents and communications with X advertisers related to its plans to distance advertisers from X.

Bailey also requested any Media Matters’ communications about “strategies or operations related to generating stories or content intended to ‘cancel,’ ‘deplatform,’ ‘demonetize,’ or otherwise interfere with businesses or organizations located in Missouri, or utilized by Missouri residents” and “soliciting charitable funds from residents of Missouri.”

“Radicals are attempting to kill Twitter because they cannot control it, and we are not going to let Missourians get ripped off in the process,” Bailey said in a statement. “I’m fighting to ensure progressive tyrants masquerading as news outlets cannot manipulate the marketplace in order to wipe out free speech.”

[As long as that doesn’t cross over into criminalizing criticism, even inaccurate criticism. We’re no fans of Media Matters, but the solution so far has been to make them largely irrelevant. Unless there’s solid evidence of intentional fraud that goes beyond demagoguery, Bailey risks making them very relevant as a First Amendment martyr. — Ed]