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Senate Republicans and Democrats alike are concerned over the Trump administration’s overtures that critics, political enemies and people engaging in hate speech will be targeted.
Last week, President Donald Trump and top officials in his administration sparked a wave of criticism and concern over the fate of free speech in remarks that suggested possibly targeting people for hate speech, revoking broadcasting licenses and prosecuting political enemies.
The sidelining of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel from his show by ABC over comments he made related to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk further stoked fears on Capitol Hill.
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White House allies in the Senate argued that under former President Joe Biden, Democrats engaged in the same behavior. But some in the GOP believe that it may be the return of cancel culture, this time pushed by the Right.
“What I’ve told my Democrat friends, I said, ‘guys, this is act two of cancel culture,’” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. “I mean, we are here because you made people rightfully very angry by doing the same thing, you just didn’t take it to this level.”
“But if we don’t get it under control, this becomes the floor for how government overreaches, and this just becomes a more empowered, imperial president,” he continued. “And again, as a lifelong conservative, it never occurred to me, even if it was for an end that you agree with, it never occurred to me that any true conservative would consider this a justifiable means.”
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., argued that Democrats had already taken censorship that far.
During his tenure as Missouri attorney general, he filed a lawsuit, Missouri v. Biden, that alleged a “vast censorship enterprise” between the federal government and social media companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in the administration’s favor.
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He contended that the administration officials were talking directly about violent conduct and not targeting the First Amendment.
“I believe in free speech, people have a right to have their opinion, but I do think the Left has to do some self-reflection, when 85% of Democrats think President Trump is a fascist, and 55% of the Left believe that assassinating Trump would be at least somewhat justified,” he said. “I think it’s time to look in the mirror.”
While Kimmel was reinstated by ABC on Monday, his dismissal still struck a chord on Capitol Hill.
Some of the concern among lawmakers stemmed from Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr, who said last week: “Frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called his comments “dangerous as hell,” and likened them to tactics ripped from a mob movie.
Carr has since clarified his comments, and panned criticisms as “distortion” and “projection” by Democrats.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration was using FCC “license revocation to pressure broadcast companies to take in effect censoring.”
“What we’re seeing is in effect, the censorship that is the mark of the authoritarian regime, and that’s very different from anything in recent history, maybe in any history of the United States,” he said.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi also said last week that the administration would “go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.”
She has since clarified her remarks, too, and instead noted that her remarks were geared toward violent conduct, and that “when you cross the line from First Amendment to a crime … we will prosecute you.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, countered that Democratic lawmakers were being hypocritical and had “zero credibility even having a First Amendment conversation.”
“This has nothing to do with silencing free speech, and the fact that the Democrats are even talking about it is literally the most laughable thing I’ve seen in D.C. since I’ve been here,” he said.
And Trump weighed in on the issue last week, pushing back against the press and suggesting that government-controlled airwaves aren’t free.
“They’ll take a great story, and they’ll make it bad,” he said. “See, I think that’s really illegal.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., introduced the “No Political Enemies Act” last week to counter the administration’s overtures. He told Fox News Digital: “Why would we not take the president seriously?”
“He literally is using his communication channels to make clear he’s going to lock up his political enemies.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson fired back directly at Murphy in a statement, where she asked: “Where was Chris Murphy when Joe Biden was demanding Meta censor average Americans for sharing facts about COVID? Or when Joe Biden’s FBI investigated parents for expressing concerns at school board meetings.”
“The Fake News Media has spent years attacking the President and lying about his tremendous record of success,” Jackson said. “As someone who actually knows what it’s like to be censored, President Trump is a strong supporter of free speech, and he is right — FCC licensed stations have long been required to follow basic standards.”
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