For years, Republicans have been subject to constant harassment by leftist-controlled government organizations and their proxies. Donors have had hit pieces run against them, frivolous investigations launched into their business practices, and even IRS audits. Meanwhile, Democrats and their various organizations have never faced such scrutiny. It’s time for Republican attorneys general to change that.
Recently, House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has led the way by shining some much-needed light on some particularly nefarious actions of woke global organizations. In particular, Jordan’s Judiciary Committee has recently gone after the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), alleging that the organization coordinated censorship efforts among its various member organizations.
Last month, Jordan and the committee released an illuminating report that showcased GARM’s sordid activities, which range from ordering their member organizations to pull ads from Elon Musk’s X to threatening Spotify over the mere presence of Joe Rogan’s popular podcast. GARM, in short, opposes anyone or anything who doesn’t toe the leftist-party line.
The report was just the start of the House Judiciary Committee’s work. They also sent letters to 40 different member organizations of GARM demanding answers to collusion concerns. Elon Musk then filed a lawsuit against GARM, and days later GARM’s parent company — the World Federation of Advertisers — announced it was ending GARM’s subversive activities. Another big win for Musk.
Unfair business practices against conservatives and other ideological opponents have, tragically, become the norm on the left. If Republicans take back the White House in 2024, fighting censorship of all stripes must be a top priority. The House Judiciary Committee, assuming it even stays in Republican hands, cannot do this alone.
While Jordan has done laudable work on Capitol Hill, it is now time for Republican attorneys general in the states to take up the mantle and continue to press against businesses that coerce and collude against their ideological foes. They must investigate and bring charges against these agenda driven organizations, which have acted with impunity for far too long.
One such example is NewsGuard, a for-profit company that works closely with governmental agencies dedicated to censorship and rates news websites on “trust.” Founded in 2018, NewsGuard’s main attraction is their misinformation meter, which rates websites on a score of 1-100. These ratings are used to determine viability for advertisers, researchers, and more.
George Washington University Professor Jonathan Turley recently criticized NewsGuard in an op-ed published at The Hill. A week later, NewsGuard alerted Turley that it was going to rate his blog. Almost like clockwork, NewsGuard threatened Turley for simply not toeing the line. Such conduct clearly threatens free speech online. House Oversight Committee Chairman, James Comer, R-Ky., is investigating the organization over its influence on businesses and advertisers. This is a good start, but his efforts should be reinforced by Republican AGs.
Another possible target is The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) led by Randi Weingarten, a force for everything bad that enters our underperforming public education system. The AFT acts almost like a mafia, coercing and compelling teachers to join or else face the consequences. The AFT has repeatedly acted as a cudgel for the Democrat Party. From praising Democrat vice presidential nominee Tim Walz to outright endorsing Kamala Harris for president, the country’s largest teachers’ union has simply become another cog in the Democrat Party political machine. But not only have Republican lawmakers failed to investigate the group — the union has actively fought efforts by Congress to look into its political efforts.
Other possibilities include ACRONYM, an organization backed by George Soros and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. ACRONYM, which poured $100 million into defeating President Donald Trump in 2020, is ostensibly a non-profit. ACRONYM also propped up Courier Newsroom, a fake news organization that mirrors local newspapers but with an avowedly left-wing angle.
Now, Soros and Hoffman are propping up a new organization called Good Information Inc. ACRONYM, Good Information Inc., and Courier Newsroom are all backed by the same donors and led by the same person: Tara McGowan. Good Information Inc. aims to cut through with “fact-based” information; it claims to oppose “false” narratives. It’s the same old song and dance from the censorship-industrial complex, which always just ends with more censorship.
How are these leftist organizations allowed to flourish when if conservatives engaged in these same tactics, there would be IRS agents aplenty knocking on the front door?
With this administration and a toothless Congress, it’s up to Republicans at the state level to take action. We’ve seen that these organizations don’t stand up to scrutiny, just look at Elon Musk and GARM. State attorneys general like Ken Paxton and Andrew Bailey have done a lot to lead the charge thus far, but it’s not enough. The censorship-industrial complex and coercive Democrat organizations will continue to bear their fangs. It’s up to Republicans to hold them accountable.
Josh Hammer is Senior Counsel at Article III Project and the host of “The Josh Hammer Show” and “America on Trial with Josh Hammer”.
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