Elon Musk fired Twitter's general counsel after information showed a connection he had with the censorship of Hunter Biden's laptop.

James Baker, the former deputy general counsel, was released shortly after Musk authorized the release of the "Twitter Files" about Biden's scandal.

.@ElonMusk fires @Twitter's general counsel for suppression of Hunter Biden storyhttps://t.co/GCwXmDmTBR

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 7, 2022

The background

"The firing comes after journalist Matt Taibbi published a wide array of internal communications over the weekend related to the suppression of the New York Post's story on Hunter Biden's laptop in 2020. Baker was involved in the discussions over whether the story fell under the platform's 'hacked material' policy," the Washington Examiner reported.

"I support the conclusion that we need more facts to assess whether the materials were hacked," Baker wrote in response. "At this stage, however, it's reasonable for us to assume that they may have been and that caution is warranted."

Six Degrees from James Baker: A Familiar Figure Reemerges With the Release of the Twitter Files – JONATHAN TURLEY https://t.co/BGULMYq2QS

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 4, 2022

Musk's decision

"In light of concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today," Musk tweeted on Monday.

"Baker is a controversial figure. 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," Matt Taibbi noted regarding Baker in the Twitter Files release.

Baker is a controversial figure. 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.

— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 6, 2022