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The Left’s Censorship Regime Is Crumbling

Posted on Thursday, July 20, 2023
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by Shane Harris
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AMAC Exclusive – By Shane Harris

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A frenzy of legal action over the Biden administration’s ability to collude directly with Big Tech companies to restrict so-called “misinformation” has further exposed the left’s attempted end-run around the Constitution to censor online speech.

Only July 4, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana granted a preliminary injunction in a 2022 lawsuit brought by Attorneys General Jeff Landry and Eric Schmitt of Louisiana and Missouri. (Schmitt has since won election to the U.S. Senate.) Judge Doughty’s order, citing “substantial evidence” that “the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth,’” forbids multiple government agencies and Biden administration officials from meeting with or contacting social media companies.

Landry and Schmitt’s lawsuit catalogues a litany of instances where senior Biden administration officials instructed “content moderators” at Twitter and Facebook to throttle or outright ban accounts that contradicted the White House’s narrative on topics such as COVID-19 and the Hunter Biden Laptop scandal – and threatened those companies with antitrust and regulatory action if they did not comply.

In one example from the lawsuit, employees at Instagram quickly acquiesced to a request from the Biden White House to remove an account critical of Dr. Anthony Fauci. In another, Biden director of digital strategy Ron Flaherty demanded that Facebook take down a Tucker Carlson video even after Facebook employees told him it “doesn’t qualify for removal.”

In effect, as Landry and Schmitt outline and Judge Doughty affirms, the Biden administration is outsourcing government censorship to Big Tech companies, whose policies against “misinformation” are a convenient cover for restricting First Amendment freedoms.

Unsurprisingly, the Biden Justice Department quickly filed a request to pause the July 4 order banning contact with social media companies. But in a 13-page ruling on July 10, Judge Doughty denied the motion to stay his preliminary injunction.

One line from Judge Doughty’s ruling in particular stands out. In response to an argument by the Justice Department that the injunction would “prohibit [the Biden administration] from engaging in a vast range of lawful conduct,” Doughty says that the preliminary injunction “only prohibits what the Defendants have no right to do—urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech on social-media platforms.”

“In other words,” Doughty writes, “the only effect of staying the preliminary injunction would be to free Defendants to urge, encourage, pressure, or induce the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech on social media platforms.”

The order makes explicit that the federal government can still notify social media companies about threats to national security, criminal efforts to suppress voting, foreign attempts to influence elections, and communications that intend “to detect, prevent, or mitigate malicious cyber activity.” The fact that the White House felt compelled to dispatch the Justice Department to try to reverse the injunction anyway is an unintentional admission that the government is indeed engaging in online censorship via its relationship with Big Tech companies.

But despite two stinging rebukes from Doughty, the Biden administration did get some temporary relief late last week from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which placed a hold on Doughty’s injunction. A panel of three judges – two of whom were appointed by Democrat presidents – ruled that Doughty’s order is void until the court can issue a full decision on the merits of his ruling.

For the Biden administration and Big Tech companies, the flurry of legal activity has raised some uncomfortable questions and attracted unwanted scrutiny. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Republicans grilled FBI Director Chris Wray on the actions of his agency revealed by the original Landry and Schmitt lawsuit. Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) referenced Doughty’s ruling in his opening statement, accusing the FBI of lying to the public and colluding with Big Tech companies to censor online speech.

The liberal media has also been forced into action to defend government officials colluding with Big Tech – exposing that they too are in on the corrupt game. CNN’s Elie Honig called Doughty’s injunction “one of the most aggressive, far-reaching rulings you’ll ever see,” while MSNBC’s Ryan Reilly argued the federal government is actually engaging in too little censorship. Longtime journalist and broadcaster Mike Barnicle, meanwhile, bizarrely stated that Doughty’s ruling “voided the First Amendment.”

Yet the more Democrats and the mainstream media rail against rules prohibiting collusion between the government and Big Tech, the more they reveal that “combatting misinformation” really means silencing anything that differs from the left’s approved narrative. Even if conservatives don’t win every courtroom battle, the public is beginning to see through the charade.

Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on Twitter @ShaneHarris513.

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Lawrence Greenberg
Lawrence Greenberg
1 year ago

A quick review of the last 200+ years of history will reveal that the only governments that even attempted to silence anyone were dictatorial and/or totalitarian governments (it was done in the US during WWI at the direction of Democrat Woodrow Wilson).
The only reason to even try to silence those who disagree with you is if you are not telling the truth.
If you are telling the truth and presenting the facts, those who speak out against you will ultimately be exposed as liars.
However, if you are the one who is lying, then you risk being exposed as what you are by those speaking out against you, and thus you must seek to silence them.
And that brings us to this, the most criminal, corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration in this nation’s history.

Gabe Hanzeli kent wa
Gabe Hanzeli kent wa
1 year ago

good. end the democrats/liberals/leftists censorship and then end their voter fraud systems by moving back to required voter ID, national voter registration, no drivers licenses for illegals, and only day before and day of in person voting.

Do these two things and there is be a 75% drop in democrats in office.

Be honest: does anyone really believe brain dead fetterman beat doctor Oz?

Ann S
Ann S
1 year ago

This censorship that sloppy and the gang are doing is to shut up any dissent and to control the minds of the people.
They do not want people thinking for themselves they want to tell you what and how to think.
Freedom of speech they want to do away with. We free thinking people are a detriment to their plan. We can and will decide for ourselves what is misinformation.
We have been doing it for years only they don’t like it for they want total power over you and want to tell you what is true even if is false and only believe in what they tell you.
Years ago we sang a song Our thoughts are free, not any more.
Appeals court judges are helping sloppy and the gang to do away with the first amendment, the first step toward doing away with the constitution.
Lets not give them that power. Wake up before it is too late.

Donald King
Donald King
1 year ago

Hey! Stifling free speech worked wonderfully for Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Idi Amin, and others. The Biden administration overlords figure, what the heck. It’ll work for us just as well. Except that darned Constitution keeps getting in the way.

jocko
jocko
1 year ago

DEPORT ALL liberals, illegals, THE ONCE HONORABLE, fbi, doj, cia, irs AND NOW THE secret service THAT THE FAMILY CRIME BOSS, china, ”TEFLON” joe biden DESTROYED ALONG WITH OUR NATION

REHJR
REHJR
1 year ago

It is apparent that people are so adjusted to looking at the physical problems of war and crime that they fail to see the most important battle between in the Spiritual warfare between Satan and God for our souls. They also fail to understand the most effective weapon at their disposal is prayer. Perhaps it is God’s way of allowing us to make immoral choices. The book of Amos says a lot about what God did to those disobedient to Him by allowing them to go through hardships and they wouldn’t return to Him.
I live in the world and am affected by it so I also a realist.

Homer
Homer
1 year ago

It seems that the people can’t see through a sheet of glass.

Nick Patriot
Nick Patriot
1 year ago

Where are the Republicans???

George Washington's Admirer
George Washington's Admirer
1 year ago

Our First Amendment To The Constitution has been taken on long winding roads since its inception; (with a logging truck right behind it, with no brakes!) Alien & Sedition Acts 1798 and signed into law by President Adams…Now, to the present moment with the current administration. Main Stream Media is pounding ever pounding their propaganda. They do a disservice to their advocates. No entity has violated the First Amendment more than Biden and Company. Yet, they swear up and down that it is the Conservatives who violate the First Amendment. Go Figure! At a trotting pace they run to book sellers and try to influence the sale of what they call: ‘misinformation’. They have created their own ‘dictionary’. (Like ‘radical conservative’.) Shall they be called: ‘Old Soviet Style Politicians’? It simply boggles the mind; how they have placed a restriction on free speech. Americans have caught on. They are embarrassingly obvious. They still haven’t been able to make Americans loathe: God, The Bible, President Washington, Our Founding Fathers, and the American Flag! God Bless Our Founding Fathers, & May God Bless This Beautiful Country!

Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell
1 year ago

Victory for US finally since 2015. Hooray

Myrna
Myrna
1 year ago

The more citizens feel the sting of the loss of free speech, the more it can’t be ignored, excused, disguised. Freedom is primary to America’s life and freedom of speech comes first.

Jim Crossan
Jim Crossan
1 year ago

These attempts at the Nazification of America represent a terrible turning point in history if allowed to continue. Democrats who can’t win on the merits have to go away and never be heard from again.

Rik
Rik
1 year ago

All I can say is: “STUPID IS, STUPID DOES!”

Dick
Dick
1 year ago

Prohibition is ignored by these pompous dweebs. What’s next?Cannot allow this simple ignoring what they do not like.

Garyk
Garyk
1 year ago

The marxist democrat party was attempting to take away free speech and replace it with their lies and propaganda, DON’T think that won’t try again!
Look at their destruction of OUR Country,the blatant arrogance of their repulsive actions,and outright failure of their self serving policies and tell me WHO with any intelligence would support these clowns????

Jerry Todd
Jerry Todd
1 year ago

Censorship in normal conversation is a violation of free speech.

GTPatriot
GTPatriot
1 year ago

The days of the free press are over. This is evidenced by the demise of the newspaper industry to the point where there are only 3 or 4 decent daily’s in the nation ( I am not convinced that everyone now gets their news online) , the fact that twitter has only 20% of its pre-Musk employment, and that cable “news” is now just a political tool. There is no source of “just the facts”. Our media is now an opinion machine only.

Robert Mallory
Robert Mallory
1 year ago

We are still losing on some fronts. Despite his wishes the Twitter employees are still suspending people for Conservative Tweets. I tweeted that the Federal Government has the right to put proven traitors in front of a firing squad and my account was suspended for “inciting violence”. As Burt Ward might say, “Holy Disconnect!” I seem to be suspended permanently and when I ask for my tweet to be reviewed I get turned down each time. Two times I was told because they were busy it would take about a week before they could look into it. Both times my request to be reinstated were turned down the very next day! Most recently when I again challenged their decision they somewhat changed the reason for my suspension. Unless I can reach one of Twitters few non-leftist employees I don’t expect I’ll ever be back on. But I’ll still try from time to time and be their eternal gadfly!

BobA
BobA
1 year ago

I can’t understand why so many supposedly, American’s support this regime? Like how many American Jews don’t support Israel? Are we on the verge of becoming a commie nation? Pray they wake up soon.

Nic
Nic
1 year ago

Good

A Voter
A Voter
1 year ago

I don’t give a (redacted) about what the government, MSM or any politician has to say. Censor this Motheredactor!!!!

Glena Cox
Glena Cox
1 year ago

good

PaulE
PaulE
1 year ago

Unfortunately, Judge Doughty’s ruling was later stayed by a liberal appeals court judges recently. So the Biden administration is once again free to collude with the social media companies to their hearts’ content. Ultimately, this is yet another issues that will only be resolved if the matter works its way up the Supreme Court at some point.

Melinda
Melinda
1 year ago

“Methinks thou dost protest too much.” Very telling.

Stan d. Upnow
Stan d. Upnow
1 year ago

And on and on it goes. And on and on it will go, because those on the Left never face just punishment.

Rich
Rich
1 year ago

Just watching the liberals bumbling, stumbling and defecating all over themselves when the truth hits them in the face is entertaining. The tsunami of truth that is coming almost daily will take them all down (liberals AND RINO’S). You can only lie upon a lie just so long and you eventually forget the original narrative. Even the bought out media won’t be able to prop them up. Now if we can only wake up the brain dead voters that continue to vote for these tyrants….. Things are looking up folks.

ButchG
ButchG
1 year ago

We NEED rules, regulations or laws, or an overall, “TECHONOLOGY BILL OF RIGHTS”, based on our Constitution. To protect our rights of freedom and choice from the abusive control of the tech TYRANTS!

DanM
DanM
1 year ago

Who needs hollywood when the reality drama in DC is going on?
Now when I need a laugh, I just go back to Gilligans Island.

Myrna
Myrna
1 year ago

This administration is showing the public over and over again why freedom of speech is the most important right we once had.

Robert Zuccaro
Robert Zuccaro
1 year ago

The lefts attempt to censor is nothing new. Anybody remember PARC, the so-called Parents Music Resource Committee, when they tried to regulate heavy metal hair bands in the ’80s? Who else but a Democrat would consider Twisted Sister a “threat to democracy”? Stay hungry, folks!

Test
Test
1 year ago

This is a test

Sam
Sam
1 year ago

The sooner the better…..

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