Interview, Fireside Chat
Senator Eric Schmitt: Exposing the Biggest Censorship Scandal in US History
- Senator Eric Schmidt (R-MO) launched the lawsuit Biden v. Missouri in May 2022 as Attorney General, specifically seeking discovery rather than an immediate injunction to uncover evidence of government coercion of Big Tech platforms.
- Discovery in the lawsuit revealed tens of thousands of documents, emails, and text messages detailing a coordinated "censorship enterprise" between government agencies (FBI, CDC, CISA) and Big Tech (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube).
- The discovery process led to the depositions of high-profile figures including Dr. Anthony Fauci, FBI agent Elvis Chan, and CISA officials, who admitted to flagging specific phrases for suppression.
- Schmidt argues that the government's strategy involved "outsource censorship" by threatening private companies with loss of Section 230 protections or antitrust investigations unless they removed specific content.
- The Hunter Biden laptop story was censored by Big Tech in October 2020; FBI records confirmed agents possessed the authentic laptop in late 2019 and warned platforms it was Russian disinformation to preemptively suppress the story.
- A "tabletop exercise" was conducted at the Aspen Institute involving heads of social media trust and safety teams, simulating a Russian "oppo dump" on Hunter Biden to pre-plan censorship responses two weeks before the 2020 election.
- Schmidt identifies the "Hamilton 68" project, created by former FBI official Clint Watts, as a hoax used to falsely claim conservative accounts were Russian bot networks, citing internal Twitter correspondence that labeled these claims as "total nonsense."
- The Senator claims the "Russiagate" narrative functioned as a "coup" against the Trump administration, utilizing the Steele Dossier despite CIA intelligence analysts advising their own leadership that the dossier lacked evidence.
- In the current political landscape, Schmidt notes that Vice President J.D. Vance and Senator Schmidt share a "realist" foreign policy approach focused on core national interests rather than "Wilsonian adventurism."
- Schmidt asserts that President Trump's pressure has halted the "blank check" funding of the Ukraine war, forcing Zelensky to the negotiating table and reversing the trend of taxpayer dollars flowing without end.
- Gallup polling cited by Schmidt indicates support for the war among Ukrainians has collapsed from 60-70% to 24%, suggesting the Ukrainian public desires a negotiated peace.
- The Senator argues that President Zelensky is effectively an authoritarian leader in an "emerging democracy" that has canceled elections, banned opposition parties, and restricted press freedom to maintain power during wartime.
- Schmidt contends that the fear of Putin invading all of Europe is "threat inflation" given that Russian forces have struggled to even reach the Dnieper River after three and a half years of conflict.
- The interview highlights a generational shift in Republican foreign policy, with the "emerging wing" rejecting the premise that the US must lead global regime change efforts, specifically regarding Russia and China.
- Schmidt's new book, The Last Line of Defense, details the Biden v. Missouri case and aims to clarify the constitutional arguments regarding the First Amendment, Section 230, and the dangers of algorithmic editorial control.
- Hosts note that Schmidt and co-host Jason are now part of a coalition that includes former liberals on free speech issues, contrasting their current "free speech renaissance" stance with previous partisan positions.