Welch: “Newsflash for my colleagues across the aisle: their claims of a ‘vast cover-up’ against conservatives will get debunked as quickly as their claims about supporting free speech.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on The Constitution, announced the Minority witnesses for the Subcommittee hearing titled “The Censorship Industrial Complex.” Instead of focusing the first Subcommittee hearing on actual and proven instances of censorship by the Trump Administration against their political adversaries, the Majority has focused this hearing on a perceived—and unproven—censorship enterprise against conservatives.   

“Newsflash for my colleagues across the aisle: their claims of a ‘vast cover-up’ against conservatives will get debunked as quickly as their claims about supporting free speech,” said Sen. Peter Welch. “The Republican party has pushed disinformation for years, and this sham hearing on the so-called anti-conservative ‘censorship industrial complex’ is yet another example. Instead of focusing on the actual censorship directed, unabashedly, by the White House, they’re pushing this false narrative that their voices are being silenced. I’m thankful to be joined by Professor Mary Anne Franks and Gabe Rottman tomorrow, who will speak on the importance of the First Amendment and press freedom.” 

Witnesses for the Minority will include: 

• Mary Anne Franks. Ms. Franks is the Eugene L. and Barbara A. Bernard Professor in Intellectual Property, Technology, and Civil Rights Law at George Washington University School of Law, and an expert in the First Amendment and technology.  
• Gabe Rottman: Mr. Rottman is the Vice President of Policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. In this role he works at the intersection of press freedom and technology.  

Majority witnesses will include Mollie Hemingway, senior editor for The Federalist, Jonathan Turley, conservative legal scholar, and Benjamin Weingarten, a Senior Contributor for The Federalist.  

More details on the hearing are included below: 

Media Note: Members of the media who wish to attend the hearing in person should RSVP to their respective Senate press gallery. Hearing room space is limited. 

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