Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Tenn.) told a hearing that Democratic efforts to censor dissident media are “eerily similar” to Communist China, Breitbart News reports
Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Tenn.) told a House committee hearing on “Fanning the Flames: Media Disinformation and Extremism” on Wednesday that Democratic efforts to censor dissident media are “eerily similar” to Communist China
Johnson said at Wednesday’s hearing that “just two weeks ago, China’s General Administration of Radio, Film and Television banned BBC World News from broadcasting in China because it found that the BBC’s reporting ‘seriously violated’ (its) broadcasting guidelines, including its supposed requirement that ‘news should be truthful and fair and not harm China’s national interests,'”
“So I have to say that I was disappointed and greatly surprised by my Democratic colleagues’ letter to the broadcaster. They pressured the broadcaster to remove conservative news channels from the network – a letter that looks eerily similar to the statement issued when the CCP banned the BBC”
“So it begs the question,” Johnson continued.” Does the U.S. government have the authority to decide what can and can’t be broadcast to the American people? I don’t think it has that authority, but the Democrats on this committee seem to think it should have (that authority).”
The congressman then asked Professor Jonathan Turley of the George Washington University Law School, “whether it is constitutional for members of Congress to pressure private businesses to do things that Congress [members] themselves cannot legally do.”
Professor Turley acknowledged that the Democrats’ actions were “an attack on free speech.
Professor Turley said, “Well, it’s constitutional in the sense that it’s not expressly prohibited by the First Amendment,” but “it’s an attack on free speech. When legislators try to do indirectly what they can’t do directly, we should be concerned.”
In response, Rep. Johnson mentioned, “On the other side of the aisle, if I didn’t know better, I would think that Fox News or Newsmax (Newsmax) made a direct call to storm the Capitol on January 6.”
“But all of us don’t know what happened.” The congressman added.” In fact, all intelligence indicates that all the planning for the riots took place primarily on social media, including Facebook.”
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