It is said that politics can make strange friends. I was watching a CNN clip Monday from “Outfront” where Rep. Ro Khanna (D.Calif.) was interviewed about Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s first set of “Twitter Files”. (Complete thread by independent journalist Matt Taibbi, here) and the fallout.
You may recall that among the many illuminating emails was one from Khanna, in which Khanna stood up for free speech. He expressed his belief in Twitter’s wrong decision to suppress the New York Post’s sensational Hunter Biden laptop story in Oct 2020.
Taibbi said that Khanna was his only Democratic lawmaker who he found in the vast treasure trove of information. They all responded in the same way, disturbingly, to Twitter’s position.
Khanna, during his interview with CNN Monday, stood by his comments and stated that the “liberal Democrat position” should be “for the principle of standing for First Amendment speech”.
REP. RO KHANNA, D-CA: Erin. What surprised me was that Twitter took the decision to censor. Liberal Democrats should support the principle of First Amendment speech. And “New York Times” Sullivan stated: We want speech to be free, uninhibited and broad.
While Twitter is a private actor to me, they are a modern public forum. It was disappointing that they suppressed “The New York Post”.
BURNETT You stood up. You asked Twitter to be kind. You stated that you did not believe it was right. You stood for the First Amendment. Your email was insightful and clear. Is it a disappointment that you are the only one?
KHANNA: I think so. We’ve all written emails and I’m happy that they released this one. KHANNA: I’m certain I have written other things that weren’t as thoughtful.
When I read it, however, I declared that I stood by every word. I was referring to the fact that I am a political junkie. I believe American democracy is great because everyone has a right to speak up and can participate in speech. I hope that more Democrats will support the larger principle. We want forums that aren’t censored and that welcome all viewpoints.
This interview was very thorough. Burnett seemed to agree with free speech principles and asked meaningful questions, which is rare on CNN in recent years.
Khanna is not the only one who disagrees with Democrats on free speech and open dialog. This was why it was so important to release the Twitter files. They showed that Khanna spoke the right words to the Twitter top-ups behind closed doors, when no one was watching. You can judge the true worth of someone based on their actions and words when no one is watching.
It’s refreshing to see the left do this, but it’s also something that is almost certain to disappear among modern Democrats, who have made it a habit of cancelling people for WrongThink. It is safe to say that conservatives will not agree with Khanna on other issues. However, Khanna made the right decision on this crucial issue.
CNN reported that Hell did freeze on Monday – even if it was only for a few seconds, but it was something that had been long overdue.
