House panel subpoenas 8chan owner

The House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed the owner of 8chan, the internet messaging board linked to three mass shootings this year, to testify before Congress.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and ranking member Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) issued the subpoena of Jim Watkins as part of their ongoing probe into extremist content online.

“Today the Committee on Homeland Security issued a subpoena to Jim Watkins, the owner of the website 8chan,” the leaders of the committee, which has partial jurisdiction over the issue of domestic terrorism, said in a statement.

“At least three acts of deadly white supremacist extremist violence have been linked to 8chan in the last six months,” they said. “We have questions on what is being done to counter this trend so we can be sure it is being properly addressed. Receiving testimony from Mr. Watkins is critical to our oversight on this matter.”