Exclusive – Matt Gaetz: Nikki Haley opposed to combating Big Tech ‘tyranny’

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) torched former Ambassador Nikki Haley on Friday, saying that she is opposed to combating big tech “tyranny,” Breitbart News has learned exclusively.

(Article by Sean Moran republished from Breitbart.com)

Breitbart News obtained a copy of Gaetz’s latest Hot Takes with Matt Gaetz podcast episode, in which he slams Haley’s critique calling for regulations that would curb big tech censorship of conservative and alternative voices.

Haley wrote on Thursday that, although she decries censorship of conservatives, regulating big tech would “go too far in the other direction.”

“Censorship by tech companies, esp censorship of conservative opinions, violates the spirit of the law & the 1st Amendment,” Haley claimed. “But more regulation would go too far in the other direction, putting bureaucrats & lawyers in control of what gets said online. Either way, free speech loses”:

Censorship by tech companies, esp censorship of conservative opinions,violates the spirit of the law & the 1st Amendment.But more regulation would go too far in the other direction,putting bureaucrats & lawyers in control of what gets said online. Either way, free speech loses.

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) June 25, 2020

Gaetz said that Haley’s reluctance to fight censorship puts her in big tech’s camp.

He said, “On this podcast, I have chronicled the tyranny of big tech and the impact on our ability to have fair debate and discussion about critical issues. And, if you’re ever wondering who’s on the other side, particularly in the Republican Party, I guess look no further than former Amb. Nikki Haley.”

Noting that large social media platforms have become the modern public square, Gaetz said that lawyers would help protect Americans’ free speech rights.

“Yes, Nikki, it is right that if we engage in requirements for transparency there will likely be lawyers involved to vindicate our rights. And that would sound pretty good for a lot of the people that have straight-up disappeared by Twitter lately,” he said.

Gaetz contended that politicians with establishment Republicans viewpoints such as Haley’s are rarely censored.

He said, “I guess if you have this sort of ‘Conservative Inc.’ world of Nikki Haley, you don’t have much to worry about from big tech. They’re not going to shadowban Nikki Haley. You know who they shadowbanned? Jim Jordan, Mark Meadows, Devin Nunes, and Matt Gaetz.”

Gaetz then asked what conservatives should do with conservative censorship if lawmakers should not pursue regulation.

He asked rhetorically, “I guess the question for Ambassador Haley is: so then what are we supposed to do? I mean, I don’t love the idea of lawyers and bureaucrats being involved. But it sure beats a whole bunch of people who hate us in Silicon Valley determining that because they were surprised that, like the 2016 election, that they’re going to rob the 2020 election from the voters.”

“Now we just have to accept the grim and despondent dystopian fate that free speech loses? I think free speech should win,” he added.

Gaetz said that Haley, who is viewed as one of the potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates, should embrace regulating big tech.

“It would sure help if one of my party’s leading voices, someone who is out building a national desire to achieve higher office, if they would actually back the efforts that people like Josh Hawley and myself have introduced to try to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act,” the Florida congressman said. “Or, define some of these tech companies as common carriers at least to the point that we can get transparency into their algorithms.”

“But no, we can’t win like that. We can’t fight for those changes, we can’t demand that accountability from big tech instead. We just have to accept this grim proposition that either way free speech loses,” he added. “I don’t believe in fighting for the loss, I believe in fighting for the win.”

Read more at: Breitbart.com