House conservatives are blaming Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthyMcCarthy's Democratic challenger to launch first TV ad highlighting Air Force service as single mother Trump asked Chamber of Commerce to reconsider Democratic endorsements: report The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - White House moves closer to Pelosi on virus relief bill MORE (R-Calif.) for Twitter’s decision to have its founder publicly testify before the Energy and Commerce Committee instead of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where a number of conservative members sit.

The far-right Freedom Caucus and its allies argued that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was likely to get a more favorable reception from the Energy and Commerce panel in comparison to Oversight, which counts Freedom Caucus leaders Mark Meadows Mark Randall MeadowsHouse moves toward spending vote after bipartisan talks House Democrats mull delay on spending bill vote Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE (R-N.C.) and Jim Jordan James (Jim) Daniel JordanSunday shows preview: Justice Ginsburg dies, sparking partisan battle over vacancy before election House passes resolution condemning anti-Asian discrimination relating to coronavirus Republicans call for Judiciary hearing into unrest in cities run by Democrats MORE (R-Ohio) among its members.

“The majority leader talks tough on tech then sends [Dorsey] to the friendly confines of the industry-friendly Energy & Commerce Committee,” Rep. Matt Gaetz Matthew (Matt) GaetzLara Trump campaigns with far-right activist candidate Laura Loomer in Florida House to vote on removing cannabis from list of controlled substances The Hill's 12:30 Report: Sights and sounds from GOP convention night 1 MORE (R-Fla.), who says he has been unfairly censored on social media, told The Hill.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gaetz, who is not a Freedom Caucus member, said that when he complained to McCarthy, the leader told him he should trust the members of the other panel.

“I had a discussion with him about this. He told me to trust my colleagues more,” Gaetz said.

In a brief interview in the Capitol, McCarthy downplayed the spat and said it was clear that Energy and Commerce had jurisdiction over communications and technology issues, especially when it pertains to broad-based consumer issues. The Energy and Commerce Committee also has its own oversight and investigative subcommittee.

“It’s the same thing we do with any bill. People go to the jurisdiction. E&C has the jurisdiction over these things, so that’s why it went to E&C,” McCarthy said Wednesday, a position that was echoed by Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy Harold (Trey) Watson GowdySunday shows preview: Election integrity dominates as Nov. 3 nears Tim Scott invokes Breonna Taylor, George Floyd in Trump convention speech Sunday shows preview: Republicans gear up for national convention, USPS debate continues in Washington MORE (R-S.C.).

Asked if he personally made the decision for Dorsey to appear before Energy and Commerce, McCarthy replied, “No, it’s not my call.”

Both panels had aggressively fought to get Dorsey to appear before their committees so they could grill him on allegations of conservative bias on social media. Both invited Dorsey to testify.

Freedom Caucus members say McCarthy played a pivotal role in convincing Twitter and Dorsey to choose the Energy and Commerce Committee over the Oversight committee.

McCarthy sent a letter to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden Gregory (Greg) Paul WaldenTrump order on drug prices faces long road to finish line Ignore the misinformation: The FDA will ensure the safety of any COVID-19 vaccine Hillicon Valley: Trump backs potential Microsoft, TikTok deal, sets September deadline | House Republicans request classified TikTok briefing | Facebook labels manipulated Pelosi video MORE (R-Ore.) in August calling for him to invite Dorsey to a hearing.

“I would like to request a hearing with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey so that the American people can learn more about the filtering and censorship practices on his platform," McCarthy wrote.

Conservatives say McCarthy could and should have done more to get Dorsey to go before Oversight.

A leadership aide said it’s not up to leadership to dictate to private or public companies which committees — or how many — they should appear before.

Some conservatives believe maneuvering for future leadership fights played a role.

Jordan — who says he has been directly targeted by Twitter’s anti-conservative bias — also is challenging McCarthy for the Speaker’s gavel. Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 At indoor rally, Pence says election runs through Wisconsin Juan Williams: Breaking down the debates MORE (R-Wis.), who is backing McCarthy, plans to retire from Congress in January.

Denying the Oversight panel a chance to take a crack at Dorsey undercuts Jordan, his allies believe.

“It kind of seems like McCarthy doesn’t want to elevate Jordan,” said one conservative senior GOP aide.

But two other potential McCarthy rivals — Majority Whip Steve Scalise Stephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseHouse GOP slated to unveil agenda ahead of election House panel details 'serious' concerns around Florida, Georgia, Texas, Wisconsin elections Scalise hit with ethics complaint over doctored Barkan video MORE (R-La.) and GOP Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers Cathy McMorris RodgersHillicon Valley: Trump backs potential Microsoft, TikTok deal, sets September deadline | House Republicans request classified TikTok briefing | Facebook labels manipulated Pelosi video Top House Republicans request classified TikTok briefing More than 100 lawmakers urge IRS to resolve stimulus payment issues MORE (R-Wash.) — sit on the Energy and Commerce Committee and will get a chance to question Dorsey on Wednesday afternoon, when he appears before the panel. So will conservatives like Rep. Marsha Blackburn Marsha BlackburnTaylor Swift on National Voter Registration Day: 'We need everyone' Democrats smell blood with new DHS whistleblower complaint Hillicon Valley: Election officials prepare for new Russian interference battle | 'Markeyverse' of online fans helps take down a Kennedy | GOP senators unveil bill to update tech liability protections MORE (R-Tenn.), who is running for Senate, and Reps. Joe Barton Joe Linus BartonBottom line Ex-Tea Party lawmakers turn heads on K Street Longtime GOP aide to launch lobbying shop MORE (R-Texas), Morgan Griffith Howard (Morgan) Morgan GriffithRep. Dan Meuser tests positive for COVID-19 Watchdog calls for probe into Gohmert 'disregarding public health guidance' on COVID-19 Massie plans to donate plasma after testing positive for COVID-19 antibodies MORE (R-Va.) and Jeff Duncan Jeffrey (Jeff) Darren DuncanGOP lawmaker calls for Confederate portrait to be put back in Capitol Rep. Banks launches bid for RSC chairman Republicans push for help for renewable energy, fossil fuel industries MORE (R-S.C.) — all three of whom are Freedom Caucus members.

McCarthy, once a darling of Silicon Valley, has been aggressively leading the GOP charge against tech companies, one of President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE’s new favorite punching bags. The majority leader, who is close to Trump, has tweeted over a dozen times last month to “stop the bias,” referring to what critics say is a pattern of censoring conservative voices on social media.

His letter to Walden came after Twitter denied in a blog post that it practiced “shadow-banning” — or hiding tweets and profiles of misbehaving Twitter users without removing them from the site — of users based on political leanings.

That controversy started after prominent conservatives aligned with Trump, including Jordan, Gaetz and Meadows failed to appear on Twitter’s auto-populated drop-down search box when users typed in their names.

That’s why Meadows and Jordan, who each chair an Oversight subcommittee, were itching to have Dorsey testify in front of their panel, where he would likely face a tougher grilling.

“There is a real frustration among those of us that were targeted by Twitter that there was not a more inclusive process to allow us to be a part of the questioning of Jack Dorsey,” Meadows told The Hill.

Some Oversight members asked to join Wednesday’s Energy and Commerce hearing, which would have required unanimous consent (UC) from the panel, but were rejected.

“I thought allowing us to be UCed in to participate in the hearing seemed like a very reasonable request that was ultimately denied by the committee,” Meadows said.

The Oversight Committee could subpoena Dorsey to force him to testify, but Jordan said that decision is up to Gowdy as chairman.

“All I know is, we were working to try to get them in front of Mark’s subcommittee and our subcommittee,” Jordan told reporters on Wednesday. “But Dorsey wouldn’t agree.”

Walden said the Energy and Commerce Committee is better equipped than the Oversight panel to handle the issue, because his committee has both oversight authority and the jurisdiction to take legislative steps, if needed.

“OGR is a great committee, but it has very limited legislative ability,” Walden told reporters on Wednesday. “So this is a bigger discussion about, get the facts, build the case, and see where we go legislatively.”

Walden declined to say whether he talked to GOP leadership or members of the Freedom Caucus about Twitter's decision to appear before Energy and Commerce.

“I’m not going to get into that,” he said.

On Wednesday morning, Dorsey and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on election interference. Dorsey then appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee later in the afternoon on censoring and filtering practices.

-Juliegrace Brufke contributed