Quick Hit:

In the upcoming election, free speech emerges as a critical issue as Vice President Kamala Harris’s track record reveals her involvement in censorship efforts that challenge First Amendment rights. Prominent voices, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X CEO Elon Musk, are sounding the alarm.

Key Details:

• Kamala Harris has a history of pushing for censorship, notably as California Attorney General.

• Mark Zuckerberg’s recent letter to Congress highlights pressure from the Biden-Harris administration on social media to suppress COVID-19 information.

• Elon Musk warned that Harris’s approach to "defending democracy" through censorship is a threat to free speech in America.

Diving Deeper:

In an op-ed for RealClearPolitics, Betsy McCaughey points out that free speech is a pivotal issue in the 2024 election. McCaughey details how global crackdowns on expression are gaining momentum, with countries like Brazil, France, and Hong Kong clamping down on platforms that fail to comply with government censorship demands. McCaughey warns that the U.S. could be next, especially if voters don't recognize the threat posed by the current administration.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who claims to stand for freedom, has repeatedly used her influence to curtail free speech, according to McCaughey. She emphasizes that Harris’s track record shows she is “the enemy of the most important freedom—free speech.” McCaughey references a recent letter from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, where he admits that his company’s decision to take down posts related to COVID-19 was a response to direct pressure from the Biden-Harris administration. Zuckerberg described this as "wrong" and expressed regret for not being more outspoken earlier.

McCaughey also highlights the role of Rob Flaherty, Harris’s current deputy campaign manager and former White House digital strategy director, who was directly involved in deciding what got censored on social media platforms. “Promoting Flaherty is another red flag that your freedom will be snuffed out in a Harris/Walz administration,” McCaughey argues.

Adding to the concerns, Elon Musk, CEO of X, issued a stark warning after Brazil's recent decision to shut down X for not complying with censorship demands. Musk cautioned that similar moves could take place in the U.S., stating, “It will happen in America too if Kamala/Walz gain power.”

Kamala Harris’s history of censorship stretches back to her time as California Attorney General, where she attempted to compel religious pregnancy centers to advertise state-funded abortion services—a move ultimately struck down by the Supreme Court. Harris also tried to force conservative nonprofits to disclose their donors, an unconstitutional demand that was similarly overturned.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added his voice to the conversation, expressing his alarm over the “resort to censorship, media control, and weaponization of federal agencies” under Biden and Harris, which he views as an attack on the First Amendment.

With prominent figures like Zuckerberg, Musk, and Kennedy uniting in their warnings about the risks of censorship under Harris, the stakes in this election are clear. McCaughey concludes by reminding voters not to “sell out your children’s freedom” for government handouts, as Harris offers a stark contrast to Donald Trump, who pledges to end government censorship.

As the battle over free speech intensifies, Americans are being asked to choose between a future of open dialogue or increased government control over what they can see, say, and hear.