[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 10, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S4745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Social Media

  Mr. President, on another matter, a few weeks ago, it was reported 
that the author of a blatantly, virulently anti-Semitic cartoon 
depicting the Rothschilds and Soros was invited--actually invited to a 
social media summit at the White House. Up until yesterday, when the 
White House was asked questions about why he was invited, there was no 
answer. Reportedly, some in the administration privately defended the 
invitation of this out-and-out bigot. Only last night when it all 
became public did the White House finally revoke the invitation. But it 
is an absolute disgrace that it was extended in the first place and 
that it took them long to rescind. And it is a disgrace that the White 
House has not rescinded the invitations for several other individuals 
planning to attend who have spewed hateful and bigoted views online.
  The plain truth is this: This President and this administration are 
shockingly willing to provide succor to some of the most hateful 
ideologues, ideologies, and viewpoints. The President has promoted 
White supremacists on his Twitter feed while constantly criticizing 
social media platforms for removing hateful content. In doing so, he 
has defended people like Alex Jones and his detestable, conspiracy-
ridden radio show.
  The idea that everybody should be able to post on social media sites 
no matter how disgusting the content is wrong, in my view. When 
vicious, racist, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobic hate speech is posted 
online, social media sites, as private companies, should be able to 
remove that content. But this President amazingly seems to believe that 
when offensive language is coming from a rightwing source and it is 
taken off social media sites, that is censorship. That is the message 
this social media summit seeks to advance, and it is un-American.
  At the same time, we hear that the White House and congressional 
Republicans are all too eager to decry anti-Semitism when they perceive 
it from a political opponent on the left. Well, where are those folks 
when the White House does something like this? Where are they? It seems 
some of our friends on the other side of the aisle want to politicize 
the issue of anti-Semitism, which should be condemned when anybody 
talks about it, but unfortunately we heard silence from our Republican 
friends when this virulently anti-Semitic cartoonist was invited to the 
White House--not a peep. And what he did was despicable and reminiscent 
of what was done before dictatorships took over in Europe.
  The White House was right to revoke the invitation. It never should 
have been issued in the first place. A social media summit designed to 
give support to the most radical viewpoints on social media should 
never have been planned by the White House in the first place. It 
should be obvious, but with this President, unfortunately, the obvious 
bears repeating: The President of the United States should appeal to 
the better angels of our nature and not provide support to the basest 
voices in our society. It is another reason this Presidency is just a 
disgrace--a disgrace in terms of American values, American morals, and 
American honesty.