Because it contains electoral falsehoods disseminated by then-president Donald Trump, YouTube removed a video released by a congressional committee investigating last year’s assault on the US Capitol on Friday.
In response to an AFP inquiry, YouTube spokeswoman Ivy Choi stated, “Our election integrity policy forbids material pushing false claims that widespread fraud, flaws, or malfunctions influenced the result of the 2020 US presidential election if it does not give appropriate context.”
“We apply our regulations to everyone equally, and the video submitted by the January 6th Committee channel has been withdrawn.”
The committee did not immediately answer a request for comment amid a series of public hearings probing the assault on the US government’s seat on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to reverse the presidential election results in Trump’s favor.
According to media sources, the rejected footage included Trump making unfounded accusations questioning the election’s legitimacy. YouTube did not say which video was removed from the channel.
According to congressional investigators and senior administration officials, Trump urged Vice President Mike Pence to join an unlawful scheme to rig the 2020 US election and drummed up a mob that threatened his deputy’s life when he refused.
The committee investigating the assault recounted how former President Barack Obama chastised Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to go through with the illegal strategy, even after learning that violence had erupted as Congress gathered to recognize Democrat Joe Biden’s win.
During its third public hearing on the insurgency, the panel revealed a “relentless” pressure campaign by Trump on Pence – as the cornerstone of a criminal conspiracy to keep the defeated president in office.
According to the committee, Trump’s pursuit of this plot resulted in the Capitol violence, which resulted in at least five fatalities.
