Texas MAGA Republican Representative Keith Self is having a bit of a moment in the spotlight.
First, he decided to publicly display his transphobia in a House committee hearing, then tucked tail and ran when called on it.
Now Self is reacquainting the world with his propensity for quoting Nazis.
A GOP-controlled House of Representatives Foreign Affairs subcommittee held a hearing, titled “Censorship-Industrial Complex: The Need for First Amendment Safeguards at the State Department," to examine their unsubstantiated claims of online censorship of conservatives.
Republicans have long claimed right-wing views were stifled on social media by the Biden administration, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
During the hearing, Self decided his best play was to quote infamous Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels while speaking to American Sunlight Project head Nina Jankowicz, who testified that Republican persecution complex-driven censorship concerns were pure "fiction."
In response, the Texas MAGA Congressman remarked:
"A direct quote from Joseph Goebbels 'It is the absolute right of the state to supervise the formation of public opinion' and I think that may be what we’re discussing here."
But Democratic Representative Julie Johnson, a fellow Texan, took exception, stating:
"I want to respond to what my colleague from Texas just said. When you’re quoting Joseph Goebbels about state, the role of state in the public debate, we have a big problem."
"I mean, that’s as alarming as hell to me, when that becomes the gold standard of Hitler, and all that was going on in Russia—I mean—in German atrocities during World War II, when that becomes the quote of this hearing."
You can watch the moment here:
Representative Johnson shared the clip and her thoughts on Self quoting Goebbels on her social media.
Representative Johnson wasn't alone in her dismay over Self's choice.
And perhaps more concerning, internet sleuths found this wasn't an isolated incident.
The Texas MAGA minion quoted Nazi leader Goebbels before, was called on it, and apparently learned nothing. In 2010, while campaigning to be reelected as Collin County Judge, Self quoted the Nazi propagandist.
In 2010, Self shared:
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."
It is perhaps Goebbels most famous quote and perfectly encapsulates his philosophy on government disinformation.
Jankowicz, who once led the Department of Homeland Security’s unit combating disinformation by foreign governments, told the subcommittee:
"The premise of this hearing, the so called censorship industrial complex, is a fiction that has not only had profound impacts on my life and safety, but on our national security."
"More alarmingly, this fiction is itself suppressing speech and stymieing critical research that protects our country."
"I want to acknowledge the irony that we’re having this discussion as we witness an assault on the first amendment we have not seen in decades. The Trump administration has directed far more egregious violations of our constitution than the imagined actions of the Biden administration on which this hearing is premised."
Democratic Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California stated:
"If we want to talk about censorship, we should begin with Trump’s unprecedented assault on the first amendment and rule of law."
It was after this that Texas MAGA Representative Self decided quoting the head of the Nazi propaganda machine, a quote in support of government disinformation, was the best response.
Only time will tell how many more Nazi bon mots Self carries in his arsenal to support his views.
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