During an appearance on CBS's "The Late Show," CNN's Jake Tapper expressed grave concerns about the potential erosion of free speech in America.
He emphasized that the ability to critique leaders is fundamental to the nation's identity, stating, "If we do not have the ability to criticize, mock, investigate our leaders, then we are no longer the United States of America."
As reported by Breitbart, Tapper's remarks were in response to actions by Brendan Carr, who allegedly signaled a desire for local media to cease broadcasting content disapproved by President Trump. Tapper described this as a "direct violation of the First Amendment," highlighting the implicit threat involved when the government dictates media actions.
He recounted Carr's message as, "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. And they chose the easy way."
Host Stephen Colbert inquired whether such politicization of media had occurred previously. Tapper responded, "Not to this degree. I have never seen an FCC chairman call for a direct action by local affiliates to do something to remove a speaker and speech that they dont like. And its chilling."
This situation, Tapper argued, contradicts the campaign promises of being "free speech champions."
Colbert noted that the campaign had positioned itself against censorship, claiming to be "free speech absolutists." Tapper referenced a statement by President Trump from January, where he pledged to "sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America."
Tapper's comments underscore a broader concern about the potential misuse of state power to suppress political dissent, a scenario that conservatives often warn against as a threat to individual freedoms and limited government.
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