Remember when the left was a strong supporter of the First Amendment? That script has flipped, and now conservatives most frequently speak out in support of First Amendment rights. I don’t know what is happening, but every time a controversial subject comes up, the default position for liberals is to try to shut down the conversation. In this case, it is Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and the subject is the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

Senator Kelly, according to Michael Shellenberger, an independent journalist, was on a Zoom call with about 200 other people, including Senators, House members, and staff members from both parties.

“On our conference call, led by [Senate President Chuck] Schumer, with Fed, FDIC, and Treasury, a democrat senator asked the three agencies if there was a program underway on social media to censor information that would lead to a bank run,” Rep. Thomas Massie told Public.

“I believe he couched it in a concern that foreign actors would be doing this,” said Massie, “but he didn’t suggest the censorship should be limited to foreigners or to things that were untrue. The people from the three agencies couldn’t answer him and just sort of took a pass on the question.”

I think that the current atmosphere of censorship on social media is a hot-button issue, thanks to the release of the Twitter Files by Elon Musk posted to Twitter by Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi, and Bari Weiss. The Fed, FDIC, and Treasury Department wouldn’t want to admit such a program existed if they did have one. So Senator Kelly didn’t get an answer.

EXCLUSIVE: Senator Mark Kelly Called For Social Media Censorship To Prevent Bank Runs

Democrats are demanding ever-more censorship in a widening social media panichttps://t.co/M0xEK0b2vb

— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) March 13, 2023

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) tweeted her concern about a bail-out of SVB. She mentioned “a member” who asked if Facebook and Twitter were asked to monitor misinformation and “bad actors.”

Then Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) confirmed the member was Senator Kelly.

Rep. Dan Bishop, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability, confirmed the accounts of Massie and Boebert, and a representative for Boebert’s office confirmed that the “member” she was referring to was a Democratic Senator.

“I have confirmed with [House Speaker Kevin] McCarthy that it was Sen. Mark Kelly who asked on last night’s zoom call whether the call hosts (at Treasury, FDIC, etc) were interacting with SM platforms and on the lookout for foreign influence that might promote bank runs,” Rep. Bishop told Public.

Democrats tried to accuse Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) of doing the same as Kelly. That doesn’t ring true, though. McHenry was pointed to as the only one who mentioned social media. He allegedly called the bank failure “the first Twitter-fueled bank run.” He didn’t call for censorship. He “in no way is advocating social media be muzzled,” said his spokesman.

Shellenberger mentioned that Democrats even oppose the “Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act.” It was introduced last Thursday by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY). The bill “prevents government employees from “using their official authority to influence . . . a third party . . . to censor speech.”

This is life in Biden’s America. Censorship for anyone who might offer criticism of the administration or make Team Biden look bad. They are bad, though, so it’s pretty easy to do. Trying to shut down opposition only works as long as no one knows exactly what is going on. Conservatives knew they were being censored on social media, for example, pre-Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter. Now conservatives know how bad it was and are no longer sitting on the sidelines. Democrats need to be exposed when they act badly. Senator Kelly deserved to be called out by name for his question about censorship in the name of protecting the banking industry from the consequences of “misinformation.” Please.

Thank goodness for brave truth-tellers like Shellenberger. The importance of freedom of expression is never more vital than during this administration’s decidedly authoritarian-leaning governance. If you agree, and I think you do because you are here with us, we’d really appreciate it if you would consider signing up for our VIP program to allow us to keep doing what we do. And if you use the promo code “SAVEAMERICA” this week you’ll get 40% off any VIP or VIP Gold membership. We offer conservative voices who are unapologetic in our beliefs and you’ll never see a demand for groupthink here. We appreciate your support.