Tapper Defends Right to ‘Mock,’ ‘Criticize’ Leaders
CNN’s Jake Tapper stood by Americans’ right to “mock” and “criticize” its leaders. If that’s right is lost, it would “no longer the United States of America,” he said Thursday night while appearing on “The Late Show…
CNN’s Jake Tapper stood by Americans’ right to “mock” and “criticize” its leaders.
If that’s right is lost, it would “no longer the United States of America,” he said Thursday night while appearing on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Mediaite reported.
Tapper’s words were in response to news ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel was suspended indefinitely.
Tapper said the suspension was “direct violation of the First Amendment.”
Tapper spoke of Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr “telling companies what to do”
Colbert asked Tapper if agencies had been politicised before.
“Not to this degree,” Tapper answered. He added he had “never seen an FCC chairman call for a direct action by local affiliates to do something to remove a speaker and speech that they don’t like.”
“It’s chilling and it’s actually the exact opposite of, you know, were supposedly going to be the free-speech champions,” Tapper said.
He then recounted a time in January when President Donald Trump vowed to “immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents.”