At CPAC on Friday, Donald Trump, Jr., joined Sen. Joshua Hawley (R-MO) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for a discussion about big tech's efforts to censor conservatives.
"We were so trapped in sort of the 'well, it's free market,'" Trump, Jr. said about the issue of censorship. "Well it's not free market. It's not free market because they're getting so many benefits and protection from liability from the federal government that they cannot discriminate the way they have so flagrantly against conservatives and anyone on our side."
Rep. McCarthy gave credit to Mark Zuckerberg for the Facebook founder's stated defense of the First Amendment.
While Trump, Jr., agreed that Zuckerberg's support of the First Amendment was praiseworthy, Trump warned that it was the company's employees who pose a threat when it comes to censoring conservatives.
"The inmates are actually running the asylum," said Trump, Jr. "He's not looking at algorithms. He's not ... typing code at this point. ... so even if he agrees, if those 25,000 people below him in charge disagree, guess what? They're going to do what they want."
.@DonaldJTrumpJr on Big Tech Companies: “It’s not just the leader at the top, the inmates are actually running the asylum.” pic.twitter.com/gLif2l5v81
— ALX ???? (@alx) February 28, 2020
Leader McCarthy believes that individuals should be the ones in control of their data and not big tech companies.
"How many of us remember what happened the day after the election?" asked Rep. McCarthy, "That big Google meeting where they're all crying. Where they tried so hard to defeat the president and it didn't work. Think about, if they will do this to our speech, what are they doing about our privacy."
The Panel on Big Tech Censorship at @CPAC with @GOPLeader, @HawleyMO, and @DonaldJTrumpJr moderated by @amber_athey has been one of the most important discussions at the conference.
— ALX ???? (@alx) February 28, 2020
“If they will do this to our speech, what are they doing about our privacy?” pic.twitter.com/Q33YZDASIh
Sen. Hawley recently introduced legislation aimed at reeling in big tech by overhauling the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), merging the FTC with the Department of Justice and empowering state attorneys general with the power to enforce FTC regulations.
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