Jonathan Turley attacked Rep. Summer Lee for trying to censor Riley Gaines at a hearing Tuesday. We reported that Lee had called Gaines a “transphobe” because she believes men shouldn’t be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
This statement has become controversial in our society which is disintegrating at an ever-increasing rate. Ten years ago, a majority of Americans would mock the idea that a man could dominate a female in sports and take her scholarships. Nevertheless, in the modern day, the transgender movement is the focus of all attention.
Gaines replied to Lee at the hearing, noting that it is misogynistic as well as discriminatory to dismiss the concerns of women. The congresswoman moved to remove the words of the swimmer from the record, citing censorship.
Turley’s critique points out that this dangerous authoritarianism is all too common among Democrats.
Members will often make defamatory remarks in debates in Congress but refuse to repeat them in public to avoid legal liability. This tactic was used against me when I represented Dr. Eric Foretich during the Elizabeth Morgan controversy. Members made false and defamatory statements about my client in public but avoided repeating these claims during interviews.
In other words, Democrats act tough at hearings and defame witnesses and members, knowing they are protected under the Speech and Debate Clause. They then use the same rules to censor those who disagree.
A member of Congress who chooses to attack someone personally in a hearing shouldn’t have the right to stop a response because they dislike it. Turley went on to explain why this is dangerous.
It would be a nightmare if the members were protected against actions that defame witnesses but could then censor them if they defended themselves.
Interestingly, Lee’s first response was to censor someone she had just attacked. Lee felt that Gaines should not be allowed to criticize her remarks as being an attack on women after she called Gaines a bigot.
This shows how censorship can be a slippery slope. Democrats are embracing a free speech agenda that aims to silence oppositional viewpoints. This desire is insatiable, even when citizens are trying to counter personal attacks by members of Congress in a congressional meeting.
I don’t think “slippery” is a good descriptor anymore. As the success of the challenges against the federal government’s social media censorship has shown, we are already on the bottom of this slope. Democrats and their bureaucratic cronies believe that they already have the right to shut down speech that they do not like. It’s a question of whether or not the courts will let them get away with this.
Turley’s general point is still correct. The Democratic Party is a bunch of entitled wannabe tyrants who believe they are immune to the things they do. They do not want to live according to their standards. This is not an acceptable position for a society.
Lee is a prime example of a younger Democrat who has a serious problem. She rants about being a “yas-queen” in front of the camera and accuses others of racism, but she can’t handle any pushback. She wouldn’t say anything like that outside of Congress because she would be held legally responsible. This is cowardly and pathetic.
