# Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey Probes Google for Alleged Suppression of Conservative Voices
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has initiated an inquiry into Google, alleging that the tech corporation is altering its search algorithms to stifle conservative opinions, especially concerning former President Donald Trump. This action follows mounting apprehensions among conservatives that significant tech entities, including Google, demonstrate bias against right-leaning content, particularly during crucial election cycles.
## Bailey’s Charges Against Google
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bailey revealed his investigation, asserting that Google, the foremost search engine in the U.S., is deliberately censoring conservative discourse. He remarked:
> “BREAKING: I am launching an investigation into Google—the largest search engine in America—for censoring conservative speech during the most pivotal election in our country’s history. Google is launching an assault on the democratic process. It’s time to take a stand.”
Bailey’s office has indicated that Google is willfully skewing search outcomes to demote conservative content, rendering it less accessible to users. A representative for Bailey informed the *New York Post* that evidence suggests conservative coverage is being pushed to subsequent pages of search results, such as Page 11, while more liberal content is showcased on earlier pages.
The Missouri Attorney General’s office has announced it will subpoena details regarding Google’s algorithms and other internal mechanisms to ascertain if the company is partaking in unfair business practices by suppressing conservative discourse.
## Google’s Reaction: “These Claims Are Completely False”
Google has vehemently rejected the claims posited by Bailey. In a statement issued to *Ars Technica*, the company stated:
> “These claims are completely false. Independent studies have verified that Google Search is nonpartisan. Our search serves all users, and our business is predicated on providing useful information to everyone—regardless of their political perspectives.”
Google has consistently asserted that its search algorithms are created to deliver the most pertinent and beneficial information to users, regardless of their political leanings. The company has also referenced outside studies that found no proof of systematic bias in its search outcomes.
## Trump’s Advocacy for Google’s Prosecution
Bailey’s inquiry follows former President Donald Trump’s own allegations against Google. In September 2024, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, accusing Google of engaging in unlawful practices by surfacing negative stories about him while favoring positive narratives about Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump stated:
> “It has been determined that Google has illegally used a system of only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J. Trump, some made up for this purpose while, at the same time, only revealing good stories about Comrade Kamala Harris. This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections.”
Trump further claimed that if he wins the 2024 presidential election, he would push for Google’s prosecution for what he characterized as election interference.
These allegations are grounded in assertions from the Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog organization, which accused Google of inflating its search results with left-leaning news articles critical of Republicans while amplifying more neutral or favorable content regarding Democrats.
## Google’s Rebuttal to Trump’s Accusations
In response to Trump’s allegations, Google reiterated that its search results are nonpartisan and that both Trump and Harris’s campaign sites consistently ranked high in search results for relevant queries. The company dismissed the Media Research Center’s report, claiming it was based on a unique and infrequent search term on a specific day, and even then, both candidates’ websites appeared prominently.
## Ongoing Republican Criticism of Google
Republican officials have long accused Google and similar tech firms of bias against conservative viewpoints. In December 2018, Google CEO Sundar Pichai faced tough questioning from Republican members of Congress during a House Judiciary Committee hearing regarding concerns over perceived liberal bias in Google’s search results.
In 2022, the Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that the company’s Gmail spam filter was biased against Republican fundraising emails. This lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge in August 2023, who determined that the allegations were barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which grants legal immunity to tech platforms for their content moderation choices.
Additionally, in January 2023, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) rejected a related RNC complaint, which accused Google’s spam filtering of constituting illegal in-kind contributions to Democratic candidates. The FEC concluded there was “no reason to believe” that Google’s actions were politically motivated.
## Legal Questions and the First Amendment
The legal landscape surrounding these concerns is intricate, particularly regarding the First Amendment. In 2020, a U.S. appeals court ruled that YouTube, a platform owned by Google, is not bound by First Amendment free speech principles due to its status as a private entity. The court noted:
