‘You Want To Talk About Actually Silencing?’: Fmr GOP Rep Reminds Biden Official His Own Admin Went After Free Speech

Former Republican Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer reminded former Biden special assistant Dan Koh on Tuesday that the Biden administration had previously targeted free speech through social media censorship.

Google, YouTube’s parent company, announced Tuesday it would allow video creators banned for violating political speech guidelines an opportunity to return to the platform. While discussing the recent lifting of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension on CNN’s “The Arena,” Koh said Republicans were attempting to limit Kimmel’s speech.

“Let me ask you a question. If Joe Biden took down a prominent right-wing personality on TV for what he or she said, would you endorse that? I’m talking about a similar allegory of someone on TV right now,” Koh said. “Will you answer my question?”

“You’re hypothetical if the Biden administration went and jawboned, let’s say, social media platforms and de-platforming hundreds of conservatives?” Meijer asked. “No, that is literally what the administration that you serve did. Google just released all of the components.”

During the Biden administration, some content creators began speaking out against the COVID-19 vaccine and related mandates. YouTube quickly imposed policies restricting discussions about COVID-19, including treatments. (RELATED: Bill O’Reilly Says Yanking Jimmy Kimmel Off Air Is About ‘Responsibility,’ Not ‘Censorship’)

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In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, Google said that creators were removed from the platform for violating guidelines on election integrity and COVID-19 content. The company also said Biden officials “pressed” them repeatedly to remove content that didn’t violate policy but was labeled “misinformation” by the administration.

The two continued debating free speech, with Koh pressing Meijer on claims that the Trump administration influenced Kimmel’s suspension.

“Your administration deplatformed and kicked off of social media. You want to talk about actually silencing? Having any single public outlet that you have unallowed to broadcast something, right? Jimmy Kimmel could go on MSNBC tomorrow. He’s going back on ABC tonight. This man has not been silenced,” Meijer said.

“Charlie Kirk’s been silenced because he’s dead. A lot of conservatives were silenced on social media platforms because the government threatened those social media companies. Facebook, Google, Twitter,” Meijer added. “You can go down all the lists. YouTube, again, just acknowledged to Congress today that they did that at the behest of the Biden administration.”

Disney’s ABC announced Wednesday that Kimmel would be indefinitely suspended following his Sept. 15 monologue, in which he said the “MAGA gang” had hit “new lows” and claimed Republicans were trying to portray Kirk’s alleged assassin as “anything other than one of them.”

Backlash from Democrats over the Trump administration quickly followed. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr appeared on “The Benny Show” and called Kimmel’s remarks “some of the sickest conduct” and suggested the network might suspend him.

Democrats, including California Rep. Eric Swalwell and former President Barack Obama, accused Republicans and Trump’s administration of taking “cancel culture” to a “new and dangerous level.”

Following Kimmel’s Sept. 15 monologue, the late-night host doubled down Tuesday against Vice President JD Vance, who called out violence from the far-left, saying “many in MAGA-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, sources told the outlet that Kimmel allegedly planned to defend his remarks, claiming his words had been “twisted” by some Republicans.

On Monday, ABC announced Kimmel’s suspension would be lifted. Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair, two of the largest TV station owners in the U.S., however, are continuing their suspension of his late-night show.

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