There was a time—before modern journalism became a contest in elite conformity—when invoking Nazi Germany carried a certain weight. There was an unspoken rule: unless you were discussing genocide, actual brownshirts, or totalitarianism in its purest form, you didn’t go there. It was a matter of basic historical literacy and, frankly, decorum.
But CBS’s Margaret Brennan, host of Face the Nation—or as it increasingly resembles, Face the Nonsense—has no such qualms. With all the confidence of a sophomore who just discovered Howard Zinn, Brennan recently claimed that Nazi Germany “weaponized” free speech, as though Goebbels spent his afternoons battling for blue checkmarks on Weimar Twitter.
Let’s be clear: Nazi Germany didn’t weaponize free speech. It obliterated it. The regime burned books, criminalized dissent, shut down newspapers, imprisoned political opponents and exterminated them, and tightly controlled every broadcast, publication, and public utterance. Free speech in the Third Reich had all the freedom of a man handcuffed to a radiator with a Luger pressed to his temple.
For a brief moment—perhaps thanks to a satellite feed delay and a generous dash of sheer disbelief—Senator Marco Rubio looked like he was running an internal diagnostic. Did I really just hear that from a supposedly educated American journalist? Then, like a teacher correcting a wayward student, he pointed out the obvious: Nazi Germany didn’t have free speech. It had the Gestapo.
The Nazis didn’t “weaponize” free speech any more than they “weaponized” due process. They crushed it, erased it, and replaced it with state propaganda enforced by terror.
Not Her First Face-Plant—And Definitely Not Her Last
We might chalk it up to ignorance if this were a one-off gaffe. But Brennan just isn’t good at this. She may be a fine reporter, but as an interviewer or moderator? Not at all. She struggles in the role in a way that’s becoming painful to watch.
Take her performance at the 2024 vice presidential debate. CBS and Norah O’Donnell explicitly stated they wouldn’t fact-check the debate in real-time, but Brennan gave it a go anyway.
And, of course, she Brennaned it.
She tried to fact-check J.D. Vance on illegal immigration, only for it to become painfully clear that he had the facts and she was the one in need of checking. It wasn’t a debate—it was a live-action lesson in why moderators shouldn’t insert themselves into arguments they aren’t prepared to win.
Vance got to shoot fish in a barrel—and not for the last time.
At some point, she has to wonder: Am I about to get Norah O’Donnelled? And speaking of—what is Norah up to these days? The Face the Nation seat has to be getting warmer.
Tweeting Through It
And what does Brennan do in response to this debacle?
Does she pause, take stock, and think twice about doubling down on historically illiterate soundbites?
Nope. She takes to Twitter and resumes full-scale Resistance Tweeting.
Why take a loss with dignity when you can spend your weekend posting about it? Brennan’s post-interview strategy appears to be to look more partisan, sound even less informed, and reinforce why nobody takes corporate media seriously anymore.
The GOP Boycott That Shouldn’t Be
Some Republicans have floated the idea of a full-scale GOP boycott of Face the Nation. That would be a mistake. Why deprive yourself of the spectacle? The best part about Brennan’s moderating is that she keeps tripping over her own ideological shoelaces. The left-wing talking point is delivered—but only after a humiliating misstep that becomes the real story. That’s a win-win for conservatives.
Score your points and let Brennan face-plant again in front of a national audience.
Besides, if GOP politicians boycott Face the Nation, we might have to wait until 2028 to see J.D. Vance obliterate Brennan again. That’s too steep a price to pay for moral indignation.
Make Moderators Moderate Again™
Someone should trademark Make Moderators Moderate Again™. Well, what do you know?
Once upon a time, moderators weren’t part of the debate. Their job was to facilitate, to challenge fairly, and—most importantly—not to become the story. But somewhere along the way, figures like Brennan decided that simply moderating wasn’t enough. They had to correct their guests in real-time, steer the conversation toward narratives delivered ex cathedra, and—when that failed—cut the mics.
The worst part? They’re not even good at it.
A Better Fit for 48 Hours
Look, I know it’s easy for me to be critical. I don’t know the pressures of Brennan’s gig. That’s true.
It’s also true that I’m not paid however many millions of dollars for the weekly spectacle of watching Republican politicians make me look like, in the words of none other than Kamala “For the People” Harris, I just fell out of the coconut tree.
Brennan is better suited for a different format. She’d probably do well on 48 Hours—after all, the awkward moments could be edited out. If she starts prattling about some flimsy connection between Jeffrey Dahmer and January 6, snip, snip—to the cutting room floor it goes.
UVA: Cavalier on Free Speech
Brennan is a graduate of the University of Virginia. Decades ago, that would have meant she walked the hallowed Grounds steeped in the principles of free thought and intellectual rigor.
But now? It just confirms how deeply the woke mind virus has infected academia.
Once, UVA produced leaders who defended free speech. Now, it churns out journalists who think speech itself is a threat.
Someone who studied at Mr. Jefferson’s university should know better than to malign free speech on national television. But here we are, watching a UVA alum conflate the First Amendment with fascism in real-time.
Alas, just a Wahoo.
The Clock is Ticking
This is still a fireable offense. But, for now, Brennan will hang on. If she were smart, she’d start looking for a soft landing before burning through what little credibility she has left.
If she waits too long, she may find herself reassigned to the Chicago desk at CBS.
Or worse—moonlighting as a spokesperson for Lume.
Charlton Allen is an attorney, former chief executive officer, and chief judicial officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is the founder of the Madison Center for Law & Liberty, Inc., editor of The American Salient, and the host of the Modern Federalist podcast. X: @CharltonAllenNC
Image from X.
Jesus Christ is King
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