The First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”
Yet on Tuesday, the latest round of the Twitter Files reporting revealed that the federal government had requested that more than 250,000 Twitter users be suspended. This reportedly included Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff wanting reporter Paul Sperry kicked off the platform.
Schiff, again, a member of Congress, sought to “abridge” the freedom of at least one member of the press.
One can argue that he merely made a request, which was originally denied though Twitter did suspend Sperry eventually. But when the federal government “asks” a private individual or company to take action, looming over that “request” is the threat of punishment or coercion by the state. Read more…
