Kash Patel Told Rep. Jared Moskowitz He Would Work With Him on Section 230 After Moskowitz Cited Israel Conspiracy Theories

Claim 1: Kash Patel agreed to work with Rep. Jared Moskowitz on Section 230

Verdict: True.

• The hearing: FBI Director Kash Patel testified on Sept. 17, 2025, before the House Judiciary Committee, "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Serial No. 119-35. C-SPAN and ABC News carried it live. The official GPO transcript is the record for who said what.
• After Rep. Wesley Hunt yielded, Chairman Jim Jordan recognized Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.). Moskowitz said he was "happy to hear that you want to do more on the social media platform," listed conspiracy theories and foreign bots, then offered to work with Patel on Section 230. Patel accepted on 230:

“If we want to do something, then we could talk about Section 230. We should talk about how we are going to make sure that we don’t let foreign governments poison our children’s minds. I will work with you on that, Director.”

“I will work with you on 230 any day.”

• What Section 230 is: 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1) says no provider or user of an interactive computer service "shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." That shield is why platforms can leave up most user posts without being sued as the publisher. Take the shield away and the leftover posts become the company's legal problem. Companies then delete more of them, including posts by Americans, because a post they leave up can be treated as their speech. That is de facto censorship of user content even though Congress never wrote a list of banned opinions. Moskowitz asked for 230 work as the way "to do something" about the conspiracy theories and foreign bots he had just listed. Patel said yes to 230.

• Patel had already taken that position the day before. At the Sept. 16, 2025 Senate Judiciary oversight hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham asked if he would support sunsetting Section 230. Patel said he had "advocated for that for years" and was "happy to work with Congress to do so." PBS clipped that exchange. He wanted companies on the hook so they would stop hosting material he said could get people killed. The House line to Moskowitz is the same tool, offered in a conversation that included Israel-Kirk conspiracy theories.

In plain language:

Yes. In the official transcript Patel told Moskowitz, “I will work with you on 230 any day.”

Claim 2: Patel's agreement to work with Moskowitz on 230 for social media platforms could cause censorship of American citizens on those platforms

Verdict: True.

• Moskowitz asked for Section 230 work as the way "to do something" about the conspiracy theories and foreign bots he had just listed, including "Israel assassinated him" about Charlie Kirk. Patel said, "I will work with you on 230 any day."

“There are so many conspiracy theories on what is going on with Charlie Kirk. Israel assassinated him; right? There are conspiracy theories about your personal social life, all day. It is totally rampant. Big names on the Right, Candace Owens, right? Talking about how the, what has been released as far as the dialog between the perpetrator and his roommate is manufactured by the FBI, manufactured by the Administration. It is totally rampant.”

• 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1) is the reason platforms are not treated as the publisher of most user posts. If that shield is narrowed or repealed, leftover posts become the company's legal problem. Companies then delete more of them, including posts by American citizens, because a post they leave up can be treated as their speech. That is de facto censorship on those platforms without Congress writing a list of banned opinions.
• Moskowitz also cited theories about Patel's personal life, Candace Owens's claims about the Kirk case, people celebrating Luigi Mangione, and foreign-government bots. The posts that become legally dangerous to leave up include American accounts posting that material. UPI's same-day writeup said Patel "would be happy to work with the representative on the matter."
• Patel has called Israel "our number one ally" and said "We need America to wake up and prioritize Israel." He said that on Fox News with Larry Kudlow on Oct. 7, 2024, the anniversary of the Hamas attack.

In plain language:

Yes. Agreeing to work on 230 for social media platforms could cause those platforms to delete more posts by American citizens. Although he did not specifically say he would run a government campaign aimed only at Israel critics, Kash Patel is known for being pro-Israel.