Posted on 04/08/2023 5:42:37 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
At Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) urging, Florida Republicans are eagerly drafting a bill to expand the scope of defamation law. But not everyone in the conservative movement is a fan.
During an exclusive interview with the Washington Examiner, former Vice President Mike Pence made clear that he was not thrilled about challenging New York Times v. Sullivan, the Supreme Court case establishing the actual malice standard for defamation of public figures.
"Well, let me just say in the broadest sense, I believe a free and independent press is a bulwark of our nation," Pence said. "From my years in Congress, as a governor and, I trust, as vice president, we've worked to preserve the ability of the media, however maddening it can be from time to time, we’ve worked hard to preserve the freedom of the press to thrive in America. I would hold to the view that any effort to intrude upon that would not be in the interest of the nation."
Under current law, the actual malice standard requires a defendant to make a knowingly false statement or have a reckless disregard for the truth when making a defamatory statement about a public figure.
"I've helped found and co-chair the world Free Press caucus when I was a member of Congress," Pence, who served in Congress and as the governor of Indiana prior to becoming former President Donald Trump's vice president, said. "I’ll always be a champion of a free and independent press, and I trust that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court of the United States will preserve our First Amendment."
While Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has called for the nation's highest bench to reconsider Sullivan, former Attorney General William Barr and other prominent Republican lawyers have opposed the push to expand the scope of defamation law.
Good guys want to expand the scope of the defamation law. Bad guys don’t. You can see them lining up on each side.
>>I believe a free and independent press is a bulwark of our nation,” Pence said.
That would be nice, but that’s not the reality of what we have.
Believing in a free and independent press and having one are two different things, Mike.
The current American press is the enemy of the people.
But Mike knows that.
“”””Well, let me just say in the broadest sense, I believe a free and independent press is a bulwark of our nation,” Pence said.”””
This sure sounds like Pence is begging the media to be nice to him.
Pence fights for liberalism. Always has.
Exactly. We have a massive conglomeration of corporate liars who intentionally destroy people and suffer no legal consequences whatsoever.
Pence is RINOmney lite. Totally worthless.
MYOB and stay out of Florida every chance you get.
I can’t wait ‘till this guy tries to campaign and finally realizes how absolutely irrelevant and disliked he really is.
LET IT BE CLEAR TO EVERYONE DESANTIS IS JUST A CANDIDATE LIKE NIKKI HALEY...they have about the same chance as being GOP presidential nominee for 2024, basically zero.
Just that Desantis is pushed by big money and MSM...thank God GOP voters are smarter than that and he is showing is true colors.
Let’s first see how the law is written.
Pence needs to go away, but it’s probably going to take a presidential campaign to convince him to do it.
Plus, he sounds like a lib with the “I believe in a free..”
You don’t need to “believe in” it. It exists as a right.
Not upholded, just like due process and equal protection under the law.
Welcome to late stage Republic America, Mike!
Pence is a complete fraud. We don’t have a free press.
Secondly, he cares zilch about the Constitution. Remember the separation of powers and him not violating the executive privilege right between the President and his inner WH team?
Pence is not agreeing to testify. FRAUD !!
Sorry, “Pence is agreeing to testify”
Like that's the case now. Then followed by Pence-typical blahblahblah.
Maybe out of all of Trump's bad hires, maybe Mike Pence was the worst.
Has Pence ever slammed Biden?
“I believe a free and independent press is a bulwark of our nation,” Pence said.
Too bad we don’t have a press described above, we mostly have the various arms of the Media-Dem Party octopus.
F Pence, don’t give a rip what the Alpha Hotel says.
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