A Washington Post journalist had the gall to ask the Biden-Harris administration what it could do to block former President Donald Trump's speech from being heard by the voting public.
Noting Trump’s scheduled interview with X owner Elon Musk Monday, Washington Post White House reporter Cleve Wootson whined that the former president might utter so-called “misinformation.” Seemingly oblivious to the First Amendment, which allows his occupation to exist, Wootson asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre “What role does the White House or the president have in sort of stopping that or stopping the spread of [misinformation] or sort of intervening in that?”
Wootson attempted to dress up his anti-free speech question by framing it as an all-American perspective. “I think that misinformation on Twitter is not just a campaign issue. It's a — you know, it's an America issue,” he claimed.
The Washington Post’s Cleve Wootson: “One more, @ElonMusk is slated to interview [@realDonaldTrump] tomorrow — tonight on — on @X. I don't know if the president is going to — feel free to say if he is or not — but I — I think that misinformation on Twitter is not just a campaign… pic.twitter.com/zKxJNF1zbf
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 12, 2024
Jean-Pierre responded, noting that the White House has spoken about “misinformation” and the alleged responsibilities of social media companies to stop it “many times.” But fortunately, she had no information to share and claimed neither her team nor the president were tracking Trump’s interviews for alleged misinformation.
She even reminded Wootson that “[t]hese are private companies.” This is quite a change in tune from the Biden-Harris administration’s infamously anti-free speech attitude toward alleged misinformation in 2021 when it directly communicated with online platforms asking them to remove so-called misinformation and disinformation.
Wootson, however, was not the only one calling for someone to run interference on Trump’s interview with Musk. In a letter to Musk, Thierry Breton, a member of the European Union Commission, justified interfering in U.S. elections.
Breton claimed that “dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate and racism in conjunction with major political — or societal — events around the world, including debates and interviews in the context of elections.”
He cited the Digital Services Act, paying lip service to “freedom of expression and information” while actively threatening Elon Musk with legal action if Trump’s speech in any way breaks from what his team deems appropriate concerning European law. “As the individual entity ultimately controlling a platform with over 300 million users worldwide, of which one-third [are] in the EU … you have the legal obligation to ensure X’s compliance with EU law and in particular the DSA in the EU,” Breton wrote.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
