Hillary Clinton is suggesting American citizens should be “criminally charged” for repeating so-called Russian propaganda “boosting Trump.” Kamala Harris‘s running mate, Tim Walz, has similarly claimed the First Amendment does not apply to alleged “misinformation.” The comments suggest free speech could be under threat if the Democrats win in November.
“I think it’s important to indict the Russians, just as Mulluer indicted a lot of Russians who were engaged in direct election interference and boosting Trump back in 2016,” the failed Democratic presidential candidate told Rachel Maddow.
“But I also think there are Americans who are engaged in this kind of propaganda. And whether they should be civilly or even in some cases criminally charged, [that] is something that would be a better deterrence, because the Russians are unlikely, except in a very few cases, to ever stand trial in the United States,” she said.
Clinton appeared to be referencing two alleged Russian shell companies—Concord Management and Concord Consulting—which the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged following Muller’s flawed investigation. However, these charges were dropped once the firms began defending themselves in court.
Hillary Clinton calls for criminal charges and civil penalties against Americans “engaged” in spreading “propaganda.”
To make her argument against free speechj, she invokes the Russiagate scam that itself was the product of her campaign’s own propaganda. Speaking of which, the… pic.twitter.com/oRpwvwN4Ni
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) September 17, 2024
WALZ.
Clinton’s comments echo those of Tim Walz, the controversial Governor of Minnesota and running mate to Kamala Harris.
“There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy,” the Democrat said in December 2022.
Walz displayed similarly authoritarian attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking a hands-off approach towards Black Lives Matter rioters but having the National Guard shoot paintballs at suburban women standing outside their front doors to enforce curfews.
Harris, too, during her run at the Democrats’ 2020 nomination, threatened government action against social media platforms that do not censor content to her liking, saying: “If you profit off of hate, if you act as a megaphone for misinformation or cyber warfare, if you don’t police your platforms, we are going to hold you accountable.”
“There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech.”
— Tim Walz pic.twitter.com/js8WhTpqkt
— The Rabbit Hole (@TheRabbitHole84) September 17, 2024