By The FirstAccording to independent journalist Matt Taibbi, former FBI General Counsel Jim Baker was terminated from his position as Twitter Deputy General Counsel on Tuesday. The news comes days after the so-called “Twitter Files” demonstrated that Baker played a key role in censoring the Hunter Biden laptop story.
According to Taibbi, Baker’s termination was at least part of the reason why an expected second batch of documents has not been yet been released.
“On Friday, the first installment of the Twitter files was published here. We expected to publish more over the weekend. Many wondered why there was a delay,” Taibbi tweeted. “We can now tell you part of the reason why. On Tuesday, Twitter Deputy General Counsel (and former FBI General Counsel) Jim Baker was fired. “
Taibbi went on to explain that Baker had been fired for, “Vetting the first batch of “Twitter Files” – without knowledge of new management.”
Documents released by Elon Musk and Matt Taibbi on Friday showed that Baker supported Twitter’s decision to censor the New York Post’s bombshell story about Hunter Biden and emailed colleagues at the time to warn them that “caution is warranted.”
“Baker is a controversial figure,” Taibbi tweeted on Tuesday afternoon. “He has been something of a Zelig of FBI controversies dating back to 2016, from the Steele Dossier to the Alfa-Server mess. He resigned in 2018 after an investigation into leaks to the press.”
Twitter owner Elon Musk offered his own comments on Baker’s firing, explaining that “In light of concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today.”
When asked if Baker had offered an explanation for his behavior, Musk replied, “Yes. His explanation was …unconvincing.”
You can read Matt Taibbi’s full account of Baker’s termination here:
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