Critics dunked on Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., this week for claiming free speech has an exception for "spreading misinformation."
Durbin lashed out at new Twitter owner Elon Musk and drew attention to what he believed is the "uptick in hate speech" since the Tesla billionaire took over the platform last week.
"In the days since Musk took Twitter private, the platform has seen an uptick in hate speech, and Musk himself used the platform and his influence to spread a baseless conspiracy theory about a violent attack on an elected official’s family member," Durbin tweeted on Tuesday.
"Free speech does not include spreading misinformation to downplay political violence," Durbin added.
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Critics slammed Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Il., for claiming free speech "does not include spreading misinformation to downplay political violence." (Screenshot/Twitter)
"It literally does include that. You’re a big boy (and a lawyer I thought..?)," Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas., teased Durbin. "Correct the narrative. I have to do it every day when you yahoos try to tell people the Inflation Reduction Act reduces inflation, or when you claim there’s no such thing as gender."
"It quite literally does. How did you graduate Georgetown Law?" The Lafayette Co. president Ellen Carmichael wondered.
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"Yes it does, and you ought to know since that’s what you did for 2 years while this country burned," Babylon Bee managing editor Joel Berry scolded the lawmaker.
"This tweet is misinformation," National Review contributor Pradheep J. Shanker wrote.
"It’s a scary thing that the most powerful people in our government do not understand the basics of the laws they uphold," Reason Magazine associate editor Billy Binion wrote. "The entire point of the First Amendment is that it protects the speech you don’t like. It does not only apply when you’re vibing with it."
"We simply must start electing people with at least a minimal level of [civic] literacy. This is not that. Embarrassingly not that," First Amendment lawyer Ari Cohn tweeted.
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"Gee, why was anyone bothered by DHS's plan to establish a 'Disinformation Governance Board'?" Very Serious podcast host Josh Barro quipped.
"Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a *very* questionable statement," journalist Chris Geidner summarized the tweet.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 15: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) speaks during a news conference following a closed-door briefing about increasing threats to law enforcement following the FBIs search at Mar-a-Lago, on Capitol Hill September 15, 2022 in Washington, DC. ((Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images))
Christina Pushaw, the rapid response director for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' re-election campaign, shared a screenshot of CNN's infamous "fiery but mostly peaceful" graphic from the 2020 Kenosha riots, asking Durbin, "How should CNN be punished for downplaying political violence?"
Durbin's office did notrespond to Fox News' request for comment.
Liberals have long condemned Musk's acquisition of Twitter, fearing that he would allow hateful rhetoric and so-called "misinformation" on the platform, while conservatives have rallied behind the tech tycoon for championing free speech principles.
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Musk faced heavy criticism, however, for sharing a link that included unsubstantiated theories about the recent attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. He later deleted the tweet.
Many on the left are sounding the alarm about Elon Musk’s potential Twitter takeover. (FOX)
Conservatives have long been critical of Big Tech's censorship in recent years. Leaked documents first reported by The Intercept showed collusion between the Department of Homeland Security and tech giants to crack down on so-called "misinformation" on a range of topics including COVID-19, vaccines, racial issues, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and Ukraine aid.
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This comes months after DHS put a "pause" on the widely-panned "Disinformation Governance Board," which critics called Orwellian.