12 Apr, 2019 23:58

Read the Constitution! Twitter drags House Democrats over Assange & free speech

The Democrat-majority House Foreign Affairs Committee went after an RT America reporter and described WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange as a “criminal who weaponized stolen information.” Twitter was not amused.

Assange was arrested in London on Thursday, on a US warrant related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified US documents in 2010 – and, at least so far, not in relation to the 2016 publication of Democratic National Committee documents or private emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair. That has not stopped some US politicians from reviving the recently debunked specter of Russiagate, including House Foreign Affairs chair Eliot Engel (D-New York).

After being criticized for this by RT America correspondent Dan Cohen, the committee majority tweeted from their official account that the First Amendment of the US Constitution “protects free expression, even for Russian propaganda outlets like the one you work for. It doesn’t protect criminals who weaponize stolen information.”

The first amendment protects free expression, even for Russian propaganda outlets like the one you work for. It doesn’t protect criminals who weaponize stolen information. https://t.co/nZBq8ydidC
— House Foreign Affairs Committee (@HouseForeign) April 11, 2019

The ratio on the tweet was something to behold, with replies outnumbering likes and retweets 3:1. The overwhelming number of responses were negative, ranging from calling out the tweet’s incorrect claim about Assange and WikiLeaks, to the defense of RT and suggestions that maybe the HFAC staff need to re-read the Constitution.

Totally outrageous: The House Foreign Affairs Committee is publicly smearing a journalist who is a US citizen while simultaneously defending the far-right Trump administration's attempt to imprison another journalist who is not a US citizen.Cold war 2.0https://t.co/0Jr46cnh45
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) April 11, 2019

WikiLeaks' publications from 2016 are not the focus of any charge against Assange, so your ill-informed and incorrect statement is irrelevant to begin with. https://t.co/qn3yRL1LSm
— Elizabeth Lea Vos (@ElizabethleaVos) April 12, 2019

This below from Senator and SCOTUS associate justice Hugo Black, ruling on New York Times v United States, 1971, easily applies to #Assange and #Wikileaks. You are dead wrong. pic.twitter.com/beJd0i2pr9
— Steve Cox (@RealSteveCox) April 12, 2019

“RT is far less propaganda than US/UK [mainstream media] and is hands-down more honest, objective, truth-speaking, and presenting of multiple viewpoints and their critics than any US/UK MSM. Maybe that's why hosts/producers keep leaving US/UK MSM to work at RT instead,” said one Twitter user.

RT is far less propaganda than US/UK MSM and is hands-down more honest, objective, truth-speaking, and presenting of multiple viewpoints and their critics than any US/UK MSM.Maybe that's why hosts/producers keep leaving US/UK MSM to work at RT instead.https://t.co/UgsRAnPPED
— Beegor (@BeegorBucleor) April 12, 2019

“Whoever wrote this for HFAC should think about reading a book on constitutional law for the first time,” wrote another.

So all the media people who worked on the Wikileaks material, all those Post & NYT reporters, should all go to jail? Well, start rounding them up. (Whoever wrote this for HFAC should think about reading a book on constitutional law for the first time.)
— Peter Roman (@TsarKastik) April 11, 2019

“I get better and more useful news from RT than from any US corporate media outlet,” another added, asking why a House committee was “tweeting out smears at journalists anyway” instead of “doing something useful.”

I get better and more useful news from RT than from any US corporate media outlet. WTF is a House Committee doing tweeting out smears at journalists anyway? Shouldn't you guys being doing something useful like figuring out how to end the fucking wars?!?!
— WWIII Blues (@halljaredc1) April 12, 2019

Someone argued that WikiLeaks’ 2016 revelations were good for American democracy, revealing corruption at the DNC.

Yep and the response was to concoct a whole Russia collusion charade to divert attention that the democratic primary was a sham election. Somehow mainstream democrats dont seem to mind and dont even have the decency to admit it happened.
— EveryGeneration (@GenerationEvery) April 12, 2019

The criticism kept coming, with someone even bringing up a famous ‘Princess Bride’ meme to question the committee’s use of “weaponize.”

Actually,our MSM has turned into state run television with former members of intelligence community becoming regular contributors on nightly news.
— Leona Semizian (@lsemizian) April 12, 2019

I am a veteran of the Iraq War. I am USED to my govt telling lies. NOTHING has changed in the past 15 years. It is worse. Julian Assange tells the truth and you can't stand it. RT hires all the progressive voices who fail the "stooge" test at MSNBC.
— Jon Adams (@jonsherred) April 12, 2019

I've been a reg. Democrat since the 70s - have you lost your effin minds? @dancohen3000 , I hope you follow up with this Committee on this outrageous tweet. I want to know who is responsible for this tweet. They owe all of us an explanation. 😠
— pmcall (@pmcall) April 12, 2019