OPINION:
A federal judge just issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Biden administration to stop reaching out to social media companies with complaints about “disinformation” and “misinformation” — a ruling that, in effect, means Democrats have to stop censoring the American people.
This is a massive blow to the party of intolerance, and right as high-stakes election season approaches, no less. What ever will Democrats do now? Their censorship pass has just been pulled.
That it came on Independence Day is just icing on the cake.
For years, Democrats and their deep state partners in the intelligence community have been busily colluding with Big Tech to censor all types of speech on social media that counters the leftist narrative — speech like, ‘Hey, these shots give you dangerous blood clots,” or “Wow, how ‘bout that myocarditis,” or “Anthony Fauci is a liar; let me count the ways.”
Then there was that whole Hunter Biden laptop thing, the one that probably would have lost Joe Biden the election, save for Big Tech’s big save.
“ICYMI: Stefanik Exposes FBI’s Collusion With Twitter to Suppress Accurate Reporting on Hunter Biden’s Laptop Story, an Attack on Free Speech,” ran one March press release from Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik’s webpage. That was when a hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government interviewed two journalists, Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger, about their Twitter Files’ findings.
Part of the questioning went like this — first, from Stefanik: “I just came from an open hearing with FBI Director Chris Wray. He said under oath that no one from the FBI communicated with Twitter regarding the Hunter Biden laptop story. Based upon both of your courageous reporting, can you address that?”
Then, from Shellenberger: “What we saw was a huge amount of FBI communications to Twitter. We saw the former deputy chief of staff, the former general counsel, showing up at Twitter right at the critical period. So I find a lot of suspicious activity. I find it very suspicious and unresolved.”
And then from Taibbi: “We do know that there was a teleporter communication that had 10 documents in it just before the story broke.”
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck — it probably is a deep state duck lying about deep state dealings.
Yet the denials still go forth.
“Twitter execs acknowledge mistakes with Hunter Biden laptop story, but say no government involvement,” CNN wrote in February, about the social media suppression of The New York Post’s explosive, October 2020 laptop revelations.
It’s a “mistake.”
Not a collusion.
Now let’s talk about pee-pee tapes, OK?
This is classic Democratic Party operation: Lie. Lie more. And when caught lying, distract with different lies. It’s how they win elections.
And that’s what makes the ruling from this Donald Trump-appointed federal judge — Terry A. Doughty — such a big win for those who don’t like liars: It means the coming elections will be a little bit freer when it comes to the information flow.
Attorneys general for Missouri and Louisiana brought the suit, alleging the administration has unlawfully and unconstitutionally skirted the First Amendment by working with Big Tech to stifle free speech on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media outlets. And while social media executives are indeed allowed to control speech on their various platforms — because they’re private companies and America is a free market country — they’re not allowed to work hand-in-hand with government to control speech. That’s censorship. That’s fascism. That’s unconstitutional, unAmerican and unlawful. That’s propaganda, better left for the countries run by communists.
Doughty agreed.
He ruled in part that the Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI and other White House administration sources could not engage in conversations with social media companies for “the purposes of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression or reduction of content containing protected free speech.”
No more flagging posts.
No more whispering behind closed doors.
No more emailing to express concerns about misinformation.
“If the allegations made by plaintiffs are true, the present case arguably involves the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history,” the judge said. “The plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits in establishing that the government has used its power to silence the opposition.”
No more collusion — at least for the time being —between Democrats and Big Tech.
How will Democrats win the White House in 2024 now?
Their war rooms are buzzing. Their panic buttons are ringing. They’re strategizing their appeal.
But in the meanwhile, they’re cowed back in their corners.
“What a way to celebrate Independence Day,” said Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Twitter.
Agreed.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “Lockdown: The Socialist Plan To Take Away Your Freedom,” is available by clicking HERE or clicking HERE or CLICKING HERE.
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