Page 2 - aruba-today-20230721

A2 UP FRONT
Friday 21 July 2023

RFK Jr. denies making antisemitic comments

Continued from Front

“This is an attempt to cen-
sor a censorship hearing,”
said Kennedy, the son of
Robert F. Kennedy and the
nephew of President John
F. Kennedy.
Growing animated at
times, Kennedy defended
his statements, which have
delved into race, vaccine
safety and other issues, as
neither “racist or antisemit-
ic.” He said his family has
long believed in the First
Amendment right to free
speech.
“The First Amendment
was not written for easy
speech,” Kennedy said. “It
was written for the speech
that nobody likes you for.”
Republicans are eager
to elevate Kennedy after
he announced in April he
was mounting a long-shot
Democratic primary chal-
lenge to President Joe Bi-
den. Kennedy’s presiden-
tial campaign chairman, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., recites the pledge of allegiance before testifying at a House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the
Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 20, 2023.
Dennis Kucinich, the former Associated Press
congressman and past
presidential contender, tee chairman Jim Jordan, aired at the hearing. gresswoman was saying were also hearing testi-
sat in the front row behind R-Ohio, portrayed what he Kennedy has a history of was a lie. mony from Emma-Jo Mor-
him during the more-than- claimed were examples comparing vaccines — An organization that ris, journalist at Breitbart
three-hours hearing. of censorship, including widely credited with saving Kennedy founded, Chil- News, who has reported
The Big Tech companies a White House request to millions of lives — with the dren’s Health Defense, cur- extensively on Biden’s son,
have adamantly denied Twitter to remove a race- genocide of the Holocaust rently has a lawsuit pend- Hunter Biden; and D. John
the GOP assertions and based post from Kennedy during Nazi Germany, ing against a number of Sauer, a former Solicitor
say they enforce their rules about COVID-19 vaccines. comments for which he has news organizations, among General in Missouri who is
impartially for everyone “It’s why Mr. Kennedy is run- sometimes apologized. them The Associated Press, now a special Assistant At-
regardless of ideology or ning for president — it’s to In heated exchanges, accusing them of violat- torney General at the Loui-
political affiliation. And re- stop, to help us expose and Democrats implored ing antitrust laws by taking siana Department of Jus-
searchers have not found stop what’s going on,” Jor- Kennedy and Republicans action to identify misinfor- tice involved in the lawsuit
widespread evidence that dan said. to consider the fallout from mation, including about against the Biden adminis-
social media companies A watchdog group asked their words and actions — COVID-19 and COVID-19 tration.
are biased against con- Jordan to drop the invita- and noted that one of the vaccines. Morris tweeted part of her
servative news, posts or tion to Kennedy after he posts Republicans had sin- Ahead of the hearing, opening remarks in which
materials. suggested COVID-19 could gled out at the hearing was Jordan said that while he she described an “elabo-
The top Democrat on the have been “ethnically tar- not removed by any cen- disagreed with Kennedy’s rate censorship conspir-
House panel, Del. Stacey geted” to spare Ashkenazi sors. remarks, he was not about acy” that she claimed
Plaskett of the Virgin Is- Jews and Chinese people. “Hate speech has conse- to drop him from the panel. sought to halt her reporting
lands, said the Republican In those filmed remarks quences,” said Rep. Ger- Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Hunter Biden.
majority was giving a plat- first published by The New ry Connolly, D-Va., who took a similar view, saying A witness called by Dem-
form to Kennedy and oth- York Post, Kennedy said made reference to the he did not want to censor ocrats, Maya Wiley, the
ers to promote conspiracy “there is an argument” that mass shooting at a Pitts- Kennedy. president and CEO of the
theories and a rallying cry COVID-19 “is ethnically tar- burgh synagogue, among The panel wants to probe Leadership Conference
for “bigotry and hate.” geted” and that it “attacks others. He called the hear- the way the federal gov- on Civil and Human Rights,
“This is not the kind of free certain races dispropor- ing Orwellian. ernment works with tech- implored the lawmakers
speech I know,” Plaskett tionately.” Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, nology companies to flag to consider the platforms
said. After the video was made said she received a death postings that contain false where Americans share
Plaskett warned against public, Kennedy posted threat after the last hear- information or downright views — but also “how
misinformation from Russia on Twitter that his words ing of the Weaponization lies. Hanging over the de- deeply vital that they be
and other U.S. adversar- were twisted and denied panel. bate is part of federal com- based in fact, not fiction.”
ies who have interfered in ever suggesting that COV- When Rep. Debbie Wasser- munications law, Section The U.S. has been hesitant
American elections and ID-19 was deliberately en- man Schultz, D-Fla., read 230, which shields technol- to regulate the social me-
are expected to meddle gineered to spare Jewish aloud Kennedy’s postings ogy companies like Twitter dia giants, even as outside
again in the 2024 election. people. He called for the and questioned his intent, and Facebook from liability groups warn of the rise of
Often emotional and Post’s article to be retract- Kennedy interjected that over what’s said on their hate speech and misinfor-
heated, Thursday’s hear- ed. she was “slandering me” platforms. mation that can be erosive
ing came as subcommit- A clip from the video was and claimed what the con- Lawmakers on the panel to civil society.q