WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Republicans continue their relentless pattern of staging diversionary hearings while ignoring the attacks on the First Amendment happening right under their noses. Yesterday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on free speech in European countries represents a stunning display of hypocrisy as Trump simultaneously deploys National Guard troops to American streets, purges federal agencies of dissenting voices, attempts to seize control of the independent Federal Reserve, and weaponizes the FBI against his political opponents.
This week follows the same destructive playbook Republicans have used to distract from their failing agenda: Rather than addressing Trump’s unprecedented attacks on America’s democratic institutions and civil liberties, House GOP members focus their outrage on policies in allied European nations. The American people deserve better than a Congress that weaponizes government power to provide cover for authoritarianism instead of serving as a check on executive overreach.
See some key moments from this sham hearing below:
Democratic members expose Republican hypocrisy and Trump’s authoritarian crackdown
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Ranking Member Jamie Raskin called out Republicans’ fixation on Europe while Trump bans books and detains students for exercising their First Amendment rights.
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Rep. Lucy McBath exposed how Trump and his MAGA allies are targeting students, stripping college funding, and banning certain words to shred the First Amendment.
Witness Prof. David Kaye warns that Trump’s censorship represents “tip of an iceberg” threatening every American
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Professor David Kaye, a former UN watchdog on free speech, warned that Trump’s silencing of scientists, censoring health data, and attacking the press is “the tip of an iceberg of censorship that should concern every American.”
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Prof. Kaye revealed Trump’s attacks threaten “every American’s right of access to information” and “the freedom of public debate.”
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Prof. Kaye testified that detaining people because of an op-ed creates intimidation for anyone who would speak out.