British Member of Parliament (MP) Nigel Farage was invited to give evidence at a House Judiciary Committee hearing over MAGA Republican claims of attacks against free speech in Europe and the United Kingdom.
But while MAGA members of Congress wasted more time and taxpayer money on non-issues, Democratic members used the opportunity to ask about a matter of justice that the House Judiciary Committee should care about.
Farage was asked about the release of the files compiled by the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to indict and arrest registered sex offender, and longtime friend of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein.
The case against Epstein was built during Trump's first term in office.
The sex trafficker, previously convicted of crimes against underage girls, was indicted and arrested in 2019. Epstein died in the custody of Trump's DOJ in August of 2019.
Ohio MAGA Republican Representative Jim Jordan—best known for allegedly covering up sex crimes at his old job at Ohio State—chairs the House Judiciary Committee. He's used his expertise to largely block any inquiries into the Epstein files—which Trump campaigned on a promise to release in full.
But when presented with an opportunity to do their jobs, Democratic members like Florida Representative Jared Moskowitz pounced. He outlined the many ways the Trump administration and MAGA members of Congress have tried to avoid even discussing releasing the FBI and DOJ's files on Jeffrey Epstein.
You can see the exchange here:
- YouTubeyoutu.be
At first, MP Farage—former leader of the UK Reform Party and champion of the Brexit movement—dodged the subject, saying:
"I thought I was coming to a hearing on free speech, not process."
Representative Moskowitz then asked directly whether Farage, as a matter of free speech, believed the Epstein files should be published:
"Do you think the list should come out? You think people in power should be held to account for these victims who have been sexually abused and assaulted? You think the list should come out?
When pressed, Farage claimed:
"I have no opinion on it. I don’t know."
However, Representative Moskowitz had Farage's exact words on the issue at hand, reminding the politically conservative MP of his previous statements.
Holding up a copy of an article where Farage was quoted calling on the files to be released, the Florida Democrat asked:
"Do you agree with yourself?"
People appreciated Democratic efforts to get the Judiciary Committee back on track.
The GOP and many Americans seem to be unaware that the United States' concept of free speech is based upon the U.S. Constitution, namely the First Amendment, and its interpretation by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). That concept and definition of free speech does not apply to any other part of the world.
Even within the United States, people frequently conflate freedom of speech to mean freedom from consequences.
But the First Amendment merely states:
"Congress shall make no law...abridging freedom of speech."
The freedom of speech of any other nation is not the purview of the Republican members of the Judiciary Committee.
Chairman Jordan's scheduling of inquiries unrelated to anything to avoid the Epstein issue is fooling no one.
