> no ability for Twitter (or anyone at the company) to defend themselves or refute these statements. In declining to appear, their CEO traded the ability to re

> no ability for Twitter (or anyone at the company) to defend themselves or refute these statements. In declining to appear, their CEO traded the ability to refute statements in real time alongside Mudge for the ability to release carefully crafted statements after the fact that will receive public scrutiny but do not require him to tell the truth in response to any questions from congress, the content of which are out of his control. Misleading public statements can get them in hot water with regulators, but lying to congress is a crime. It's probably a smart move, and it's certainly not unfair to Twitter.