Ron Paul Warns Expelling Members of Congress Over Conspiracy Theories Will Empower the Speech Police
“Everything that the establishment has done is a conspiracy too. Our job is to figure out if it is good or bad…”
Former congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul recently spoke about the controversy surrounding Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. He suggested that expelling people from Congress for believing in conspiracy theories sets a dangerous precedent and represents a threat to free speech.
He also makes an excellent point about who gets to define what is and is not a conspiracy theory.
Real Clear Politics provides a partial transcript:
Paul discusses these questions: Should Members who endorse conspiracy theories be kicked out? What is a conspiracy theory and how many Members have endorsed such theories in the past? How many times have conspiracy theories been used to drag the US into wars?
“How are we going to deal with this young Republican woman who is not conventional. I don’t know the details of all her beliefs… But evidently, she has stirred up a controversy,” Paul explained. “It has been decided, the Democrats have really piled on, and if it is difficult to defend her, the Republicans have to join in too and go after and criticize her for these beliefs.”
“This whole idea that there is a ‘conspiracy’ … I work from the assumption that everyone is a conspirator. Are you defending A issue or B issue, in a way, we are conspirators for liberty. We don’t want to do it in secret, we want our stuff broadcast,” Paul said. “How the Federal Reserve is run is a secret — I think that’s a big conspiracy… Everything that the establishment has done is a conspiracy too. Our job is to figure out if it is good or bad… You could use the lockdown as an example.
The topic is covered over the first ten minutes or so of this video....
I have to say, it’s fun watching Democrats clutch their pearls over conspiracy theories. Now seems like a good time to remind people that not too long ago, many Democrats believed that Bush was complicit in the 9/11 attacks.
Somehow that was never described as a dangerous threat to our democracy.
Well, after Schiff and Nadler and all of the dems are removed for pushing the Russian conspiracy theory, then start talking, dems.
She is 47 years old. Would a 47-year-old man be characterized as "young" in the media, if not for the purposes of propaganda? Sounds demeaning. Although, in her context, she is close to half the age of Pelosi, Leahy and Feinstein. I think what he meant to say is "newly arrived Congressperson."