House Republicans and Democrats clash after heated government weaponization hearing featuring RFK Jr.

House Republicans ​Allege Political Censorship by Federal Government

House⁤ Republicans were‍ presented with compelling testimony at a congressional hearing on Thursday,⁣ which they believe supports​ their claims of political censorship by the ‍federal government. ​However, ⁢Democrats at the hearing disputed ​these allegations and‌ directed their criticism towards one of the witnesses, Democratic 2024 presidential candidate Robert F.‍ Kennedy Jr.

During his testimony, Mr. Kennedy, ⁤along with journalist Emma Jo-Morris, shared their experiences of‌ having their content suppressed on various social media platforms at the behest ‍of federal government‌ actors. They claimed​ that this was part of a larger​ pattern of⁢ censorship by proxy. D. ⁤John Sauer, ⁢Louisiana‌ Special Assistant ‍Attorney General involved in lawsuits against federal government offices for ⁤alleged censorship-by-proxy practices, also testified. Maya Wiley, president of The Leadership Conference on⁣ Civil and Human‌ Rights, also provided ​testimony at the hearing.

Rep.⁢ Thomas Massie‍ (R-Ky.) expressed concerns about certain political candidates⁢ being prevented from ⁣communicating with the public as‍ a result of these practices. He ‍stated, “This administration, and ‍those who ‌were‌ there even before this administration, are hostile‌ to free speech. They have implemented methods ⁢that they believe circumvent the law, but these methods are unconstitutional. By relying ‍on private ‍companies ⁢to censor speech, they are violating the Constitution. I am worried that in ‌this election⁤ cycle, everyone will struggle ‌to get their message across.”

Rep.⁤ Mike Johnson (R-La.) echoed these concerns, highlighting recent⁣ court cases challenging ⁢the federal ​government’s alleged censorship-by-proxy practices. He referred to a‍ federal court’s ​preliminary ‍injunction against President Joe ⁢Biden’s White ⁢House and other offices in his administration, which was issued on ⁢July 4 as a result of their alleged involvement in ​encouraging ​social media companies to remove specific content.

Hearing Like ‘SNL Skit’ But Not Funny: House ⁢Democrat

Prior to the Thursday hearing, Democratic‌ lawmakers and⁢ their political allies ‌called for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio),⁣ the chair of the‌ Republican-controlled House government​ weaponization subcommittee, to disinvite Mr.‍ Kennedy due to controversial remarks he made the previous week about the impact of COVID-19⁣ on certain ethnic groups.

A video ‍clip captured at ​a July 11 campaign event showed Mr.⁣ Kennedy suggesting that “COVID-19 attacks ​certain races disproportionately.” He went ⁣on to explain the differences in the structure of ACE2 receptors among⁢ different ethnic groups, which ‍bind with SARS-CoV-2 and lead to COVID-19 infections.⁤ Mr. Kennedy stated, “COVID-19 is targeted to attack​ Caucasians and black people. The people who are most ‍immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” While ​he ⁢acknowledged ‌that ‌it was‍ unclear⁣ whether this targeting was deliberate, he referred to ​existing papers that ‌supported these claims.