On July 20^th, the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government conducted a hearing about the federal government’s role in censoring free speech. The panel included both Emma-Jo Morris of Breitbart News and formerly the New York Post, as well as Democrat candidate for President, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

 Both individuals detailed the censorship they have faced from the government. The hearing began with Morris’s perceived shadow banning of her story about the Hunter Biden laptop in the leadup to the 2020 election. A TechnoMetrica Institute of Policy and Politics (TIPP) poll shows 71% of Americans believe that story would have changed the outcome of the race had it not been censored. RFK Jr., now the most substantial challenger to Biden in the Democrat primary, used his allotted time to lambaste the Left’s characterization of him as a “white supremacist,” “antisemite,” and “conspiracy theorist.”  He also clarified on his position on vaccines, stating “[they] should be tested in the same way other medications are.” The testimony from both witnesses showed that censorship by the government has had and will continue to have massive impacts on the country’s elections.

The role the government plays in influencing social media received significant attention. The Biden administration, including the DOJ and FBI, was cited as having been in contact with social media companies in order to tell them what they could and could not present on their platforms. This censorship related to posts about the investigation into Hunter Biden’s laptop as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Democrats in the subcommittee argued that the role of the government includes censoring social media deemed to be “malinformation.” They errantly argued that certain speech about the COVID vaccine was harmful to public health and posed a risk to the country that necessitated government intervention. Furthermore, the federal government refused to confirm the existence of the investigation of Hunter Biden’s laptop to social media companies. This was a clear cover-up by the Biden administration which used the power of federal agencies to obscure any doubts that could be cast upon the Bidens.

The modern Left totally disregards a core value upon which this country was built. The First Amendment took inspiration from Cato’s Letters, written by Thomas Gordon. In this work he stated, “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of the nation, must begin by subduing the freedom of speech…” Using the powers of the federal government to censor private citizens is a harbinger for more extreme government action. There are innumerable examples from history to demonstrate that censorship is not only unconstitutional, but dangerous.

Democrats on the subcommittee seem to willfully ignore the fact that federal agencies are violating the right to free speech when they police social media. Social media is the modern extension of the press and the individual’s right to speech. By pressuring social media companies to censor and remove posts the government infringes on the liberty of millions of Americans. The Democrats’ position on censorship seeks to silence voices that do not agree with the government, and it blatantly disregards the rights we have that ensure the freedom of our country. Landmark will continue to monitor and report on the Left’s efforts to destroy the First Amendment.