FCC Commissioner Deals Soros-Backed Group a Humiliating Blow After They Try to Sink Musk-Twitter Deal
Leftists across the board have reacted with both anger and concern after the announcement that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had purchased the social media giant Twitter. If there was a competition for the most embarrassing reaction, a George Soros-funded institute might just take the gold.
According to reporter Mona Salama, Open Markets Institute is a small, left-wing think tank funded by Soros, a notoriously far-left billionaire. The institute itself lists Soros’ Open Society Foundation as one of its major donors.
Salama wrote on Twitter the group asked the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to block Musk’s acquisition of twitter. The group claimed these three agencies had “ample authority to block it.”
Open Markets Institute,a small liberal think tank funded by George Soros wanted the FCC, FTC & DOJ to block the Musk-Twitter deal,saying the 3 federal agency has “ample authority to block it”
FCC clapback to OMI to say they “Will not entertain these types of frivolous arguments” pic.twitter.com/XMljfd0tjB
— Mona Salama (@MonaSalama_) April 27, 2022
On April 27, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr vehemently rejected the request.
“The FCC has no authority to block Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, and to suggest otherwise is absurd,” Carr wrote in a news release shared to his Twitter account.
“I would welcome the full FCC making it clear that we will not entertain these types of frivolous arguments.”
The FCC has zero authority to block Musk’s purchase of Twitter.
And it is particularly frivolous to ask the agency to do so in the name of protecting free speech and open debate. pic.twitter.com/bOB4LpEvlB
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) April 27, 2022
As Carr’s statement indicated, he wasn’t speaking for the FCC as a body.
The commission is supposed to have five members, with no more than three belonging to either the Republican or Democratic parties. Carr, appointed by former President Donald Trump, is one of two Republicans on the commission.
There are two Democrats, with the final slot currently vacant. In March, the Senate Commerce Committee tied on a vote on President Joe Biden’s nomination of Gigi Sohn, which sends the nomination to the Senate without a recommendation, according to TVTechnology, a media trade journal. (Sohn is a controversial pick, critized by notable conservatives like Fox News host Tucker Carlson.)
In the caption that accompanied the release, Carr further criticized Open Minds Institute’s absurd suggestion.
“The FCC has zero authority to block Musk’s purchase of Twitter,” Carr wrote. “And it is particularly frivolous to ask the agency to do so in the name of protecting free speech and open debate.”
The request from a Soros-funded institute to block Musk’s deal with Twitter is clearly politically motivated. Soros himself wants to ensure Twitter can keep censoring ideas he does not like, and that is why he tried to block Musk from bringing free speech back to Twitter.
The good news is that Carr was not fooled by Soros’ antics. In additional tweets, Carr dismantled a common leftist argument against Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.
“The pro-censorship crowd is running a straw man argument,” he wrote in a Tweet along with a video of his appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.”
“They say that @Twitter must stick with its current approach to moderation or unleash a flood of terrorist speech & illegal content. This is a false choice that ignores the issue: suppression of core political speech.”
The pro-censorship crowd is running a straw man argument.
They say that @Twitter must stick with its current approach to moderation or unleash a flood of terrorist speech & illegal content.
This is a false choice that ignores the issue: suppression of core political speech. pic.twitter.com/kjwspFCEXI
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) April 26, 2022
In the interview, he explained what he believed contributed to the increased censorship Americans are seeing today.
“There was a pivot point in this country that I think came around 2016, when people started to reach the view, particularly among the hard left, that the free exchange of ideas is incompatible with the outcomes that they want to see at the ballot box,” Carr said.
“And we saw a tightening of free expression that I think is tied to 2016 and I think accelerated under COVID-19 lockdowns.”
The deal between Musk and Twitter is expected to take between three and six months to close, The New York Times reported. Yet if either side breaks the deal before it closes, it would owe the other $1 billion.
All signs point to a successful close between Musk and Twitter, and if that happens, conservatives can only hope Musk will restore the value of free speech to the platform.
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