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12 Key Moments From House Hearing On Government Censorship (VIDEO)

The House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Government had a hearing on Thursday. Here's what you need to know.

Photo of K. Walker K. WalkerDecember 1, 2023
867 5 minutes read

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NOTE: This article may include commentary reflecting the author’s position.

These are some of the most important hearings in Washington. Here’s the 411…

Republicans invited prominent investigative journalists that were part of the TwitterFiles exposé, Matt Taibbi of Racket and Michael Shellenberger of Public News, as well as a Canadian independent journalist who writes for Bari Weiss’s The Free Press appeared before the committee to testify about the pressure that government agencies are putting on Big Tech to censor particular views, generally conservative.

Democrats invited Olivia Troye, a former Homeland Security Advisor and Counterterrorism Advisor to speak. It looks like Troye was only there to toss wrenches into the committee.

Here are a few highlights:

1. The Censorship Industrial Complex

In his opening statement, Michael Shellenberger explains how government uses what he has dubbed the “censorship industrial complex” to silence speech they don’t like.

2. “Who Gets To Decide What To Ban?”

Award-winning journalist Matt Taibbi asks the key question with this sort of government censorship.

3. What’s Happening In Canada Is A Warning

Canadian journalist Rupa Subramanya sounds the alarm on how this situation can escalate quickly to thinks like debanking. She explains how this happened to a former RCMP officer who had donated to the Trucker Convoy.

4. That’s Alarming!

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) asked the investigative journalists what they found to be the “most alarming thing” during their deep-dive.

5. Government Censorship Through Big Tech Proxies

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) exposes how the government uses Big Tech platforms to do their censoring for them.

Congresswoman Hageman is a big upgrade on the GOP’s former Member of Congress in Wyoming… Liz Cheney.

6. The Censorship of a Sitting Congressman

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) used his time to debunk the testimony of the Democrat witness by showing how a post from his official Congressional account on X was flagged for “misinformation” by a government-funded organization.

Massie keepin’ it sassy!

7. ‘Free Speech’ Is A Nonpartisan Issue

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)’s time included responses by Shellenberger and Taibbi that defending free speech includes the defense of speech that we wouldn’t agree with or might find offensive.

This was reiterated in Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC)’s 5 minutes.

8. Something Needs To Be Done

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) hammered home the point that First Amendment rights must be protected and that it can and should be done in a bipartisan way.

She also asks about the censorship of prominent of doctors and epidemiologists during the pandemic. Shellenberger and Taibbi respond that it’s imperative to protect dissenting voices during an emergency.

9. The United States Is Unique

Canadian journalist Rupa Subramanya said that threats to free speech in the United States is particularly awful because it’s a the one nation on the planet that that has cemented freedom of speech.

Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) brings home why that is the case — the First and Fourth Amendments.

10. Biden Officials ‘Misled’ Congress

Shellenberger told Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) that FBI Director Christopher Wray and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “misled” Congress in their testimony when they said that their agencies were not involved in censoring speech.

The “chilling effect” of censorship is the problem.

11. Pastors Debanked

Subcommittee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said that the censorship is already happening in America. Rupa Subramanya responds and says that there are Pastors in America that have been debanked.

Chair Jordan also noted that there was a “realignment” happening — two of the journalists invited were decidedly on the left not all that long ago.

12. Jim Jordan Is Committed To Continue

This is why it’s imperative to keep the House in GOP hands next November. We need this kind of thing exposed.

You can watch the full hearing here:

Photo of K. Walker K. WalkerDecember 1, 2023
867 5 minutes read
Photo of K. Walker

K. Walker

ClashDaily's Associate Editor since August 2016. Self-described political junkie, anti-Third Wave Feminist, and a nightmare to the 'intersectional' crowd. Mrs. Walker has taken a stand against 'white privilege' education in public schools. She's also an amateur Playwright, former Drama teacher, and staunch defender of the Oxford comma. Follow her humble musings on Twitter: @TheMrsKnowItAll and on Gettr @KarenWalker