Disgraced Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) had a message to Meta Owner Mark Zuckerberg ahead of the contentious 2020 presidential election.
In a disturbing 2019 statement posted on X (then known as Twitter) Menendez, who is facing a damning federal indictment accusing him of receiving bribes from a foreign government, hypocritically called on Facebook to protect free speech by censoring speech.
Menendez’s message, dated Oct. 2019, was loud and clear: “If @Facebook cares so much about promoting the American ideals of free speech and free and fair elections, it should do more to ensure that Russia doesn’t use the platform to spread disinformation and meddle in our elections.”
Menendez’s demand came in response to Zuckerberg’s alleged defiance of Big Tech policing of political speech. Specifically, Menendez had shared an Oct. 17 report from The New York Times that lamented Zuckerberg’s pledge to protect the First Amendment ahead of the upcoming 2020 presidential election. “I’m here today because I believe we must continue to stand for free expression,” Zuckberger said, effectively delivering a rebuke to leftist efforts to prop up the censorship regime in 2019.
If @Facebook cares so much about promoting the American ideals of free speech and free and fair elections, it should do more to ensure that Russia doesn’t use the platform to spread disinformation and meddle in our elections. https://t.co/mTPCnbc5Bd
— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) October 18, 2019
Menendez wasn’t the only embattled politician to condemn Zuckerberg’s failed about-face on censorship, with the Biden campaign chiming in unison. “Zuckerberg attempted to use the Constitution as a shield for his company’s bottom line, and his choice to cloak Facebook’s policy in a feigned concern for free expression demonstrates how unprepared his company is for this unique moment in our history and how little it has learned over the past few years,” protested Bill Russo, then-spokesman for Biden’s 2020 campaign.
Less than a year later, Facebook played an active role in leading the censorship of Hunter Biden’s “Laptop from Hell” bombshell in the New York Post, which served as a precursor to the current allegations of bribery embroiling the Biden White House.
Menendez has made media waves recently. He and his wife, Nadine Menendez, face an indictment related to allegations of having received several hundreds of thousands of dollars, along with bars of gold bullion, in exchange for political favors both in the U.S. and abroad.
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.
