Hillary Clinton has long been one of the most anti-free speech figures in American politics, including calling upon European officials to force Elon Musk to censor American citizens under the infamous Digital Services Act (DSA). She is now suggesting the arrest of Americans who spread what she considers disinformation. It is a crushingly ironic moment since it was her campaign that funded the infamous Steele dossier and spread false stories of Russian collusion during her presidential campaign. Presumably, that disinformation would not be treated as criminal viewpoints.
Speaking on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show this week, Clinton was asked about continued allegations of Russian efforts to disseminate Russian propaganda in the United States. Clinton responded:
“I think it’s important to indict the Russians, just as Muller indicted a lot of Russians who were engaged in direct election interference and boosting Trump back in 2016. 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 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.”
The interview was chillingly consistent with Clinton long antagonism toward free speech.
Clinton, of course, was not challenged by Maddow on the fact that her campaign was the conduit for disinformation linked to Russian intelligence services.
Not only did U.S. intelligence believe that the Clinton campaign was used to make the debunked claims, but it was clearly done for purely political purposes.
Clinton efforts were so obvious by July 2016 that former CIA Director John Brennan briefed former President Obama on Hillary Clinton’s alleged “plan” to tie then-candidate Donald Trump to Russia as “a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.” The Russian investigation was launched days after this briefing.
Her general counsel, Marc Elias, his former partner Michael Sussmann, and the campaign were later found involved in not just spreading the false claims from the Steele dossier but other false stories like the Alfa Bank conspiracy claim.
It was Elias who managed the legal budget for the campaign. We now know that the campaign hid the funding of the Steele dossier as a legal expense.
New York Times reporter Ken Vogel said that Elias denied involvement in the anti-Trump dossier. When Vogel tried to report the story, he said that Elias “pushed back vigorously, saying ‘You (or your sources) are wrong.’” Times reporter Maggie Haberman declared, “Folks involved in funding this lied about it, and with sanctimony, for a year.”
Elias was also seated next to John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, when he was asked about the role of the campaign, he denied categorically any contractual agreement with Fusion GPS. Even assuming that Podesta was kept in the dark, the Durham Report clearly shows that Elias knew and played an active role in pushing this effort.
The Clinton campaign lied to the media, spread false claims of Russian disinformation, and was accused of being a conduit for Russian intelligence. So would the “better deterrence” have been for Clinton herself to be arrested?
Sussmann ultimately did stand trial but was acquitted. Notably, John Durham noted that “no one at Fusion GPS … would agree to voluntarily speak with the Office” while both the DNC and Clinton campaign invoked privileges to refuse to answer certain questions.
For a person who is on her fourth memoir, Clinton is remarkably hostile to free speech. Notably, in all of these memoirs, she does not address her prominent role in calling for the censorship and now arrest of those with opposing views. She also does not discuss how her campaign lied to the media and funded the Steele dossier. Perhaps that is coming in the fifth memoir.
What is clear is that Clinton herself has no fear that such prosecution would ever await her. She is one of those who may silence others but not be silenced. The public is to be protected from views that she deemed disinformation, misinformation, or malinformation.
To that end, as one of the guardians of truth, Clinton chastised the media for not being more consistently anti-Trump, a daunting prospect since the media has been accused of running almost 90 percent negative stories on Trump.
Nevertheless, shortly after the second assassination attack on Trump, Clinton called Trump a danger to the world and added that “I don’t understand why it’s so difficult for the press to have a consistent narrative about how dangerous Trump is.”
Ideally, between the arrests of those accused of disinformation and an effective state media, Clinton hopes to rein in errant thoughts and viewpoints.
In the interview, Maddow did not have even a slight objection to the implications of arresting people with criminal viewpoints. Censorship and criminal prosecutions are such mainstream concepts that they are as unsurprising as a fourth Clinton memoir.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He is the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage” (Simon & Schuster).
Hillary and her acolytes continue to use invective about Trump hoping that someone will “eliminate” him as Rep Dan Goldman (D-NY) called for after the failed second assassination attempt. Musing seems to be the thing. When I muse about who is most responsible for the age of rage that Jonathan writes about, The HildaBeast always comes to mind as the number one villain.
Randy Perkins,
Well said and spot on!
Trump called Harris a fascist at least twice last week alone.
“She’s a Marxist, communist, fascist, socialist,” Trump said at an Arizona rally on Thursday.
“This is a radical-left, Marxist, communist, fascist,” Trump said while attacking Harris at a news conference on Friday.
The difference is Trump can easily prove how his comment is true.
If the shoe fits …
Fascism “Everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state” Benito Musollini.
Calling Harris a fascist is at worst an exageration.
Calling Trump a fascist is a blatant lie.
Trump is an ACTUAL anti-fascist – he seeks to dis empower the state – which is why you hate him
Speaking facts is not disinformation, misinformation or malinformation.
Also, Clinton’s 2008 campaign put the “Obama birther” idea in circulation, working through the odious Sidney Blumenthal.
Philip Berg as well! HRC is the lowest creature on this earth and knows when Trump wins, she WILL be going to prison for the rest of her miserable life.
Traveler: Oh, I get caught up in that ‘prison for The HildaBeast’ reverie on a regular basis. It’s pleasant to dream…
Calls for censorship.
Threatening civil or criminal charges as a deterrence for speech.
Using hostile rhetoric to incite violence against one’s political opponent.
Think this was describing some third world, banana republic?
Nope. Just another day in the life of the Democrat party.
Isn’t it weird that Trump does that every day? Did you miss it? It’s so strange!
Svelaz, are you too stupid to precisely define what you are talking about? There were five issues mentioned. Are you able to list the issues and provide documented proof Trump is guilty of what you claim?
….
Svelaz is unable to follow up intelligently. That is a sign of low intellect.
…
Svelaz, I am still waiting.
When the Ottoman Empire broke up, portions of the Middle East were divided into Mandates. Some of the major countries of the time each got a piece of land, which, under specific laws, was to be divided up to become nation-states. That is how many of the countries were created and the boundaries settled. Therefore, each country created worked under the same international rules.
What happened to the British Mandate?
Time for you to respond, but you don’t. You can’t. You are too stupid to do so.
Who has Trump prosecuted for exercising free speech ?
Hillary has, Harris has, Biden has.
Perhaps she is suffering from PTSD from when she was under “sniper fire.” It is more like amnesia in a digital world where everything you say is recorded.
Regarding the host of the show you mentioned and the network that produces the show, they have a small viewership of hardcore devotees. They tell them what they want to hear. Who care about reason or truth. They enjoy free advertising when the host or their guests make outrageous statements.
Our resident Apologist for Leftist tyranny and censorship tries to rescue HC, by alleging that she’s not calling for the arrest of dissenters. Rather, HC was merely “musing on the idea.”
“Musing:” “to think about something carefully and for a long time.”
That, for once, is the correct word. HC is evil. But she is not stupid.
Sam,
And they claim Trump is the one who will be a dictator?
Is she evil for considering it? Trump has mentioned jailing reporters and his political rivals. Remember “LOCK HER UP!”? Trump has also called for revoking broadcasting licenses for stations critical of him. Does that make him evil as well?
‘George’, now do Obama. He actually did jail the most journalists.
Did Trump “lock her up” ?
Did Trump revoke anyone’s broadcast license ?
Did Trump even try to do anything to restrict the free speech of others ?
Clinton has had people jailed for free speech – not just free speech critical of her – She scapegoated a Coptic christian filmmaker blaming him for Bencghazi when she KNEW it was a terrorist attack from the start, and then assuring that he was jailed and taking credit for doing so.
Harris as a prosecutor was responsible for prosecuting Backpage for publishing adds by consenting adults.
Harris also participated in the efforts to prosecute Trump.
Biden (and Obama) are resposible for large scale govenrment censorship of social media – as well as farming out that censorship to third parties. The large scale prosecutions of political opponents for free speech.
Sam, “musing” means thinking, pondering, or being pensive. She was clearly expressing her opinion on the matter. It does not imply that it will happen. Turley was clearly engaging in fear-mongering and insinuation for the benefit of his gullible MAGA readers.
Svelaz, who engaged in fear mongering over “lock her up” and “revoking licenses”
You don’t know?
It wasn’t a question, you nincompoop. I was pointing out your hypocracy.
Reading comprehension much?
Trump didn’t lock Hillary Clinton up. However, the left is locking up people continuously.
Svelaz is deaf, dumb and blind.
Many of the things Hillary Muses about – happen, Often specifically because she works to assure they happen.
The scapegoating of the coptic christian filmmaker to coverup her failures with Benghazi is not musing.
The Steele Dossier is not Musing
The Alpha Bank Hoax is not musing.
The successful efforts to abuse power to rig the democratic primary is not musing.
Sam, let us say HC is advocating. Without power that is all she can do. Put in a leftist and what HC advocates can become a reality.
“Without power that is all she can do. ”
No formal political power, perhaps. But I’d bet you that Hillary has enough “inconvenient” information about any number of politicians who do have some of that power to “convince” them to take action that they would otherwise fear to take.
If she had that ability, she would have taken Trump down already. She has PMS of the brain. Her husband Bill had something that she never did. Time will look more favorable on Bill than on Hillary.
We should be grateful to Hillary Clinton. She is showing us what the future will look like if Republicans are not restored to control of the federal government this year.
edewardmahl,
Seems to me, she is bitter that she did not get to implement her version of authoritarian control.
–did not get to implement her version of authoritarian control
Many stories out there of her and Obama still working beind the scenes.
Juanita Broderick rapist Bill Clinton revealed their plans yesterday with a podcast supporting reinitiatin the Clinton assault weapons ban. Right on que, flood our Nation with illegals, impose economic hardships and disarm the people so they are subject to more loss of their freedoms against a tyrannical government.
Turley loves mischaracterizing and telling half-truths about what others say or “demand.” Hillary Clinton did not call for the arrest of Americans. She was musing on the idea. That’s not a call to arrest Americans for spreading misinformation. Turley continues to neglect JD Vance’s deliberate misinformation regarding Springfield, Ohio. He knows the rumors he’s spreading are untrue, but he clearly uses them for political purposes.
Turley is just looking for an excuse to use Hillary’s interview to “underscore” a non-existent claim by engaging in misinformation himself.
“JD Vance’s deliberate misinformation regarding Springfield, Ohio”
Please state what these are.
There is a lot of misinformation circulating about Haitian immigrants who are in the country legally. Some false stories are being spread about them eating people’s pets. JD Vance has been sharing these claims, despite being corrected multiple times by Springfield officials and law enforcement.
He asked you to cite it. He didn’t ask for another of your fantastic tales.
I call that the Kamala shuck and shuffle…
I’m confident that he can figure it out on his own.
No, please site one example of of Vance misinformation regarding Springfield, OH. Do you not have one?
He does not. When caught in a lie, his tactics include saying “look it up”, as if you could find the source of his lie.
It has been Jimmy Fallon in the past.
Svelaz has none. That is what happens in all the debates including the one on the Middle East. Svelaz couldn’t come up with the goods. He is an impOTent man.
‘George’, back again all worried about fake (or not) stories about cats and dogs.
How about the many times ‘fake stories’ have lead to war?
Or all the lies with the Covid situation, Russiagate, Biden’s ‘sharp as a tack’…
You didn’t answer my request. Could it be because you don’t have one example? Why are you scared to elaborate on your claim? Which claim did Vance make that was corrected multiple times?
No they are NOT in the country legally – they have been given temporary amnesty.
You say these stories are false – can you prove that ?
There have been police reports.
There have been 9/11 calls.
There are a few videos.
An immigrant was arrested for stealing geese.
Is “eating pets” rampant ? Probably not.
Is it a lie – nope.
Did it successfully draw attention to the problem of illegal immigration, the devastating impacts of these people on the communities they are dumped on, and the bad policies of the Biden/Harris administration – absolutely.
Did it provide a massive meme war win for Trump supporters who OWNED TDS obbsessed left wing nuts such as yourself – repurposing their own videos for Trump – absolutely.
George, you do get that for good reason people do not trust govenrment.
Why would comments by government officials be presumed correct – I would note that JD Vance is a govenrment official and has taken many reports from constituents.
I would note that the OH AG has confirmed there are allegations and investigations.
And the OH governor has confirmed that the bomb threats are from a foreign actor attempting to interfere in US elections.
Russia ? Iran ?
I thought democrats got all apoplectic over foreign efforts to manipulate US voters.
I doubt a single person was fooled by the Hillary potato head Political adds from the IRA.
But YOU were fooled – ABC was fooled – but the Bomb Threat Hoaxes by foreign political actors.
George – Please, Please Please keep bringing up “their eating the cats” over and over and over.
Please draw ever more attention to the Biden/Harris administrations failures on illegal immigration.
Please keep drawing further attention to this.
George it is NOT true that Haitians are in the US legally – Legal immigration from Haiti is quite limited. Haitians do NOT qualify for Asylum – the requirements for asylum are set in US immigration law. Bad economic conditions do NOT qualify.
Biden/Harris have given
Haitians temporary residence – that is by executive action NOT law. It is much like Obama’s DACA – it lasts only so long as the executive Order
So you have ALREADY started off with a false claim.
Haitians are in the US illegally and can be removed the instant the executive order precluding that expires or is rescinded.
You have been corrected multiple times – yet you continue to make false Statements.
SOME Sprinfield officials making a counter claim is NOT proof of a negative. JD Vance is an OH government official, as is the OH AG;s office which has Also said it has had reports of hatians eating pets. Police officers have also confirmed reports of hatians eating pets. There have been multiple 9/11 calls.
And the OH Governor has confirmed that the “bomb threats” came from a foreign bad actor – likely Iran or Russia and are election interference
Finally – it ultimately does not matter – while it is near certtain that SOME of these reports are true.
What is MOST important is that the media has been FORCED to addressed the Biden/Harris failed immigration mess.
This is a losing issue for you. Ranting and raving in your Trump Derangement does not change that.
Haitians eating pets is NOT a massive problem. But it is the hook that has FORCED the media to quit burying the immigration problem.
It is interesting -= rising crime – especially that of illegal immigrants – does not concern you.
Rising auto insurrance, rising housing prices, Rising thefts, Rising auto accidents.
But you go frothing made crazy over eating pets.
‘George’,
if anyone “loves mischaracterizing and telling half-truths”
it’s You. Except you’ve never even made it close to the half-way point.
George – the reality is that When Hillary “muses” people get arrested.
Regardless, this argument is STUPID.
It has been 70 years since Joe MacCarthy )along with many democrats) sought the arrest and other uses of government power against people because of what they said, who they assoaited with or their political views.
It has not been 24hrs since Democrats have done so.
X is shutdown in Brazil.
The founder of Telegram is languishing in French Jail.
Trump is being multiply prosecuted for free speech.
Others are being targeted and prosecuted by those on the left over political differences and free speech.
People are languishing in the DC metro jail for the crime of believing justifiably so that an election was stolen and protesting that.
Hillary had people jailed as scapegoats blaming the film “the innocence of the muslims” for CVlinton’s failures at Benghazi.
The Biden administration does have an office of disinformation. And tried to appoint a disinformation czar.
The Biden administration did actively seek to censor social media posts over politics and covid.
Democrats do not just Muse about using force to restrict the rights of others – when they have power they ACT to restrict the rights of others.
Democrats ARE fascists
Trump conversely says things that hurt your feelings.
What he DOES with govenrment power is INCREASE your personal freedom.
Trump is a REAL antifascist.
John Say,
I dont think it is as much as Trump hurts their feelings but Trump is willing to call them out on it. Something many of us already see and know. This upsets them as they are being exposed for the frauds they are. He has empowered the people to speak the truth out loud. To feel right to say out loud, “Biological men should not be in women’s sports.” “Pornography should not be in elementary libraries.” “There are two sexes.” It goes against their entire narrative and that narrative is falling apart.
How marvelous!
“It has been 70 years since Joe MacCarthy )along with many democrats) sought the arrest”
John, what arrest are you talking about? For the most part, all McCarthy asked for was for those suspected of communist attachments be removed from sensitive positions. He didn’t even ask for them to be fired.
Like this kind of ‘disinformation’: when Black newborns are delivered by Black doctors, they’re much more likely to survive, justifying racially discriminatory admissions.
Thank you for this article. I was appalled at Hillary’s remarks yesterday, although I had no idea who interviewed her. She is the definition of chutzpah. Truly a believer that some pigs are more equal than others.
I don’t know that much of the public is aware of the Steele dossier truth, given how long the Mueller report took and the Durham report released too late. That anyone is willing to give her a platform, or that anyone would buy one of her books (especially given that she would never disclose her misdeeds) is proof of that.
I agree with MRR about the biggest lies but have to add the Hunter laptop because of what it discloses about Joe’s involvement in the Biden family business (and the 51 security professionals). The Trump impeachments rank pretty high too. What a bizarre 8 years!
On the good side, we are lucky that Hillary lost, and equally lucky that Mitch McConnell delayed on voting re: Garland.
Also, who exactly is currently running our country?
“I don’t know that much of the public is aware of the Steele dossier truth, given how long the Mueller report took and the Durham report released too late.”
Anyone actually think that was not a deliberate strategy calculated on the limited attention span of most of the American public?
“Also, who exactly is currently running our country?”
Tony “Red Eye” Blinken?
The frightening thing isn’t that evil bat said this and meant it, but that there are millions of Americans, mostly the young ones who are clueless about the totalitarian societies of the 20th century, agree with her! THAT is the scariest part. She is not an outlier.
Based on her comments, Americans made a wise decision to elect her opponent as President.
Ya think? My God, but we are truly living in an episode of The Twilight Zone, or worse.
Mary, you are right. We are in the Twilight Zone.
Mary,
I keep expecting Rod Serling to come around the corner and say,
“In what was once the land of the free, the home of the brave, one party has turned it face away from those concepts and values only to embrace values and policies once held by some of the most vile fascist, dictatorial and totalitarian governments in recent history. If you think you have stepped into Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union or Mao’s Culture Revolution, you haven’t. You have stepped not into what once was America, but the Twilight Zone.”
I was thinking more Star Trek with HRC as the Succubus episode. When you look at the history of this woman, she is a horrible human being beyond redemption.
Clinton must be talking about herself. Lock her up along with all those who were involved in spreading Russia gate lies/disinformation.
So you are advocating lock Hillary up because of her spreading lies.
Do you also support locking up JD and trump for their spreading of lies?
No, she deserves to be locked up for her many crimes
Hillary’s lies surpassed misinformation, they equate to a seditious conspiracy to destroy a DULY ELECTED President. I would believe that it would equate to treason. It also cost taxpayers $42 Million dollars and considerable civil unrest. This is just the icing of Mrs. Blackberry smash Yellow Cake criminal activity.
Hope she has a good attorney
We all know the Cankles is NOT a good attorney!
“For a person who is on her fourth memoir”
Who’s financing them and who’s buying them?
You know her daughter is married to a Soros right?
That person is the personification of evil. Compared to her, Richard Nixon is a saint.
It’s incredible to me that Hilary has the chutzpah to talk about misinformation. When she’s the misinformation queen. She started the whole rational collusion hoax, which put our country in turmoil for nearly 3 years with fake impeachments. And she got no penalties for that hoax.
In my lifetime, the two biggest fabricated lies; The 2016/2017 Russia Collusion election interference hoax and the 2021 Wuhan Virus COVID bioweapon development operation and release with all it’s associated Government mandates and vaccine information. These two psyops had the biggest impact on the future of the Country than anything fabricated before.
MRR,
I would add the Joe “Sharp as a tack,” Biden lie. They have been gaslighting us since 2020 with that one. And still, who is running the country?
^^The “sharp as a tack” was a lie, but was way too obvious to be as big as you keep claiming.
Saddam has WMD was much bigger. The jab stops the spread, another.
The biggest lie is probably that “voting allows the people to decided their leaders”.
the 2020 election being stolen doesn’t register with you does it?
Funny but let’s throw the book at Hillary for calling good people “deployable”. Hate speech by her is far worse than anything I can think of.
If Mrs. Clinton feels free speech is a crime . . . as we used to say when I was a police officer, “Mrs. Clinton . . . assume the position!”
In Clinton’s case (and others), the best “position” would be grabbing her ankles, and taking what she and her political cohort have shoved up the derrieres of the citizenry she despises. After all, as Menken put it, the sort of “pure democracy” they are pretending to defend stands upon the belief that “the people know what they want, and they deserve to get it – good and hard.”
….“Mrs. Clinton . . . assume the position!”
Agree. It’s the “burnt” pot calling the “burnt” kettle black.
She has never forgiven those who did not vote for her. Stacey Abrams is another who has never forgiven those who did not vote for her. They do not believe in choice unless the choice is for them.
I look at what people on the democratic side or progressive side have done and I am amazed: the 51 who signed the false letter, the Russia Russia Russia hoax, the statements made immediately after the 2016 election to go after the President, threat by celebrity to burn down the White House, and now the continuing to go after him. The way words have been used are very, very dangerous.
“Mrs. Clinton . . . assume the position!”
That’s the kind of image that inspires the very worst of nightmares…
In other news, the Babylon Bee reports that, Rashida Tlaib’s pager mysteriously exploded yesterday in the Capitol. https://babylonbee.com/news/rashida-tlaib-uninjured-after-her-pager-mysteriously-explodes
J