Former New York Times journalist Alex Berenson stated in a recent episode of the podcast “Pod Force One” that pharmaceutical company Pfizer may be compelled to release additional records concerning its discussions with Biden administration officials. These communications allegedly involve efforts to influence online speech related to COVID-19.
Berenson, who has been a vocal critic of the U.S. response to the pandemic, is pursuing a lawsuit against Pfizer executives. He alleges that they violated his First Amendment rights through coercion. He previously settled a lawsuit against Twitter, now X, in 2022 after the platform banned him in August 2021.
In 2023, Berenson filed suit against Biden administration officials, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, and Pfizer board member Scott Gottlieb. He claims these actions amounted to coercion that infringed upon his free speech rights. While settlements were reached in his Twitter case and the government's portion of the 2023 suit, Berenson expressed hope that more evidence will surface, even after congressional investigations yielded documents suggesting the White House flagged content for big tech companies to censor.
Berenson described officials as directly pressuring social media companies regarding alleged vaccine misinformation, stating, “they were leaning on … they were directly pressuring these social media companies saying you’re allowing vaccine misinformation, you’re killing people.” He recounted that social media companies initially resisted, citing users' First Amendment rights, but faced threats of losing Section 230 protections from the Biden administration.
He specifically identified Andrew Slavitt and Rob Flaherty as individuals focused on suppressing posts on Twitter and Facebook, respectively, characterizing their actions as bullying. Pfizer has reportedly argued in court that Slavitt was not in a White House role for part of the period in question.
Berenson's legal challenges are distinct from the prominent case Missouri v. Biden, where a federal circuit court judge referenced communications from Flaherty in describing government suppression of free speech during the COVID-19 era as an “Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’”
Speaking on “Pod Force One,” Berenson emphasized the potential significance of his case moving forward against Pfizer, even after settling with the federal government. He stated, “it would be a significant win for me. Not just [a] win for me, but a win for … the First Amendment.” He added, “And for this idea that, listen, unvaccinated people were punished in 2021, we’re going to acknowledge that, and this discovery. What was Pfizer in the summer of 2021 talking to the Biden administration about?” He questioned whether these conversations involved knowledge of vaccine efficacy or discussions about potential mandates, given Pfizer's substantial financial interest.