Democrat Senator says free speech has its limits, and questioning the Paul Pelosi attack isn't covered under it

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin suggests that the right to free speech does not include the right to ask questions about the curious circumstances surrounding the violent attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi.

“Free speech does not include spreading misinformation to downplay political violence,” wrote Durbin on Twitter, apparently taking aim against numerous conservatives who publicly questioned the bizarre incident, which saw a man in his underwear bypassing layers of security to confront and attack Paul Pelosi in his home with a hammer. 

“In the days since Musk took Twitter private, the platform has seen an uptick in hate speech, and Musk himself used the platform and his influence to spread a baseless conspiracy theory about a violent attack on an elected official’s family member,” added the senator.

In the days since Musk took Twitter private, the platform has seen an uptick in hate speech, and Musk himself used the platform and his influence to spread a baseless conspiracy theory about a violent attack on an elected official’s family member.

— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) November 1, 2022

“Free speech does not include spreading misinformation to downplay political violence,” he wrote. 

Durbin, as well as other Democratic lawmakers, have called for more censorship on social media, which many Republicans and conservatives find alarming. 

In an explosive report, documents obtained by the Intercept revealed that Facebook had a direct portal that Department of Homeland Security agents could use to flag content they wanted to be censored. 

In the report, investigative journalist Lee Fang confirmed what conservatives have voiced their concerns over in regard to government collusion with Big Tech to censor political speech online. 

“We looked at really hundreds of documents that paint a vivid picture of the [Federal Bureau of Investigation], the [Department of Homeland Security] closely collaborating with the top social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook, to censor various forms of content under the banner of fighting disinformation,” reported Lee Fang.