Rep. Ted Lieu told CNN on Wednesday that his desire to regulate speech is only thwarted by the U.S. Constitution.
An interview on Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s testimony before lawmakers with House Judiciary Committee took a tyrannical turn when the California Democrat expressed his “love” for the idea of controlling free speech.
The moment happened after host Brianna Keilar asked if Mr. Lieu failed to “press” Google’s CEO on Tuesday regarding the company’s vulnerabilities to “outside interference.”
“It’s a very good point you make,” Mr. Lieu replied. “I would love if I could have more than five minutes to question witnesses. Unfortunately, I don’t get that opportunity. However, I would love to be able to regulate the content of speech. The First Amendment prevents me from doing so, and that’s simply a function of the First Amendment, but I think over the long run, it’s better the government does not regulate the content of speech.”
Viewers on The Washington Free Beacon’s YouTube channel were stunned at the lawmaker’s admission.
“Communists don’t even try to hide now. They have the youth fully indoctrinated,” said one viewer.
“This will make for a great 2020 ad,” deadpanned another.
Mr. Lieu also admitted his desire to regulate Fox News less than 24 hours earlier.
“Would I like to regulate Fox News?” he tweeted. “Yes, but I can’t because the First Amendment stops me. And that’s ultimately a good thing in the long run.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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