Media Research Center Founder and President Brent Bozell made his latest appearance Thursday morning on the Fox Business Network’s Varney & Co. and took a blowtorch to Big Tech and their liberal allies in government for their increasing threats towards Elon Musk-owned Twitter, their desire to engage in “Big Brother-ism” by “control[ling] information in America” and telling us “what is and what isn't acceptable.”
Fill-in co-host Ashley Williams began with an exchange from Wednesday’s White House press briefing in which Fox’s Peter Doocy asked Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre “when are you guys going to delete the White House Twitter account” since they’re “saying...you're keeping an eye on Twitter because it might not be a suitable platform.”
Shortly after they finished with Jean-Pierre insisting Biden believes “it is important on social media platforms to continue to take steps to reduce hate speech and misinformation,” Bozell first explained how the left’s definition of “what hate speech and misinformation means” could be boiled down to “anything that is contrary to their narrative.”
Bozell added how, along with the fact that we “now know that the Justice Department was colluding with Facebook” to steal the 2020 election by burying Hunter Biden’s laptop and Musk’s simple belief that “let’s have free speech”, the left’s world has come crashing down.
“Now you see the true colors of the radical left. It’s true colors of the Biden administration that they’re saying, ‘oh we can’t have that,’” he said.
Asked by Williams “what are they so frightened about,” Bozell simply stated it’s “the truth” being out in the public square as they instead “want to control information in America.”
Bozell noted how the left’s goals are “really scary stuff” and “Big Brother-ism,” but not if Musk is standing in the way:
Look, this is really scary stuff. I mean, I’m laughing, but I shouldn’t be laughing. This is very scary stuff. This is big brother-ism where they will tell you what is and what isn't acceptable and now Elon Musk is breaking some eggs and he’s saying, no, the American people will decide what is and isn’t acceptable, not the White House.
The rest of the segment touched on a Wednesday piece from the New York Post editorial board in which they lay out how liberals are demanding they stop focusing on rising crime since it hurts Democrats.
Bozell replied this harkened back to the liberal media’s behavior in the Black Lives Matter riots with Ali Velshi’s comments on MSNBC in Minneapolis and CNN’s infamous chyron amid the Kenosha riot.
Bozell also cited NBC’s Lester Holt (and liberals writ large) for having lashed out at Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY) ahead of Election Day for making crime a central premise of his gubernatorial bid.
The MRC Founder concluded by noting the irony of the media pushback seeing as how “Zeldin was almost assassinated and his family was almost shot” in a shooting outside his house, adding: “[C]rime is the number one issue that will hurt the left. And so, you've got the media doing damage control and that is all this is.”
To see the relevant transcript from December 1, click “expand.”
FBN’s Varney & Company
December 1, 2022
10:46 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Next on Varney; Brent Bozell]
ASHLEY WILLIAMS: Alright, now this. The White House says it will continue to use Twitter even though Musk's takeover opens the door to misinformation. Take a listen.
PETER DOOCY: When are you guys going to delete the White House Twitter account?
JEAN-PIERRE: Why would we do that?
DOOCY: Well, you're saying that you're keeping an eye on Twitter because it might not be a suitable platform, so why use it?
WILLIAMS: Yeah. Good question. We’ve got KJP’s full response, and you want to hear that, believe me. Also, take a look at this. The New York Post editorial board says the liberal media wants them to talk about rising crime because they say it hurts the Democrats. Are you kidding me? Brent Bozell takes that on next.
(....)
10:51 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: WH Pressed on Deleting Official Twitter Account]
WILLIAMS: Now this. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether the White House will delete its Twitter account after she said the administration is going to keep a close eye on Twitter. Listen to this.
DOOCY: When are you guys going to delete the White House Twitter account?
JEAN-PIERRE: Why would we do that?
DOOCY: Well, you're saying that you're keeping an eye on Twitter because it might not be a suitable platform, so why use it?
JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I want to be very clear here. The President has always said and he has been very, very clear in his belief that it is important on social media platforms to continue to take steps to reduce hate speech and misinformation. [SCREEN WIPE] Media platforms make independent choices about their information that they present.
WILLIAMS: Ah. Brent Bozell joins me now. Always so much to talk about, Brent. In this case, are Democrats just upset they can no longer control Twitter?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Brent Bozell on the WH ‘Keeping an Eye’ on Twitter]
BRENT BOZELL: Yeah, that’s all it is. That’s all it is. Let's understand what hate speech and misinformation means. It means anything that is contrary to their narrative. And what’s happened is we now know that the Justice Department was colluding with Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg has — has admitted it — to bury the Hunter Biden story which would have cost President Biden the presidential election. That’s an absolute fact. We now know that Mayorkas was working with — with these people to stifle free-speech. And all Elon Musk has done is come along and say, let's have free-speech and now you see the true —
WILLIAMS: Yes.
BOZELL: — colors of the radical left. It’s true colors of the Biden administration that they’re saying, “oh we can’t have that!”
WILLIAMS: What are they so frightened about? They’ve all — the handwringing and pearl-clutching. I just don’t understand what the big fear is?
BOZELL: The truth, that's all it is. That’s all it is.
WILLIAMS: Ah.
BOZELL: They want to control information in America. Look, this is really scary stuff. I mean, I’m laughing, but I shouldn’t be laughing.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
BOZELL: This is very scary stuff. This is big brother-ism where they will tell you what is and what isn't acceptable and now Elon Musk is breaking some eggs and he’s saying, no, the American people will decide —
WILLIAMS: Yes.
BOZELL: — what is and isn’t acceptable, not the White House.
WILLIAMS: I’ve got into this subject. It’s TV gold. The New York Post editorial board says the liberal media wants us to stop talking about rising crime. Why? Because it hurts the Democrats. It’s just classic, is it not, Brent?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: NYP: Liberal Media Says Stop Covering Crime]
BOZELL: This has been going on since the riots. I’ve got some quotes — a couple quotes form you. This is CNN —
WILLIAMS: Yeah.
BOZELL: — a headline on CNN during the riots when Minneapolis [sic] was — was — was always on fire. The quote is, “fiery but mostly peaceful protests after police shooting.” MSNBC, and they've — they’ve just —
WILLIAMS: Yeah.
BOZELL: — been doing off the deep end. They’ve been doing the same thing. They had Ali Sheedy [sic], who was on television saying the exact same thing. It’s a peaceful protest. Yes, the city is on fire but it’s a peaceful protest and now you’ve got them going after Lee Zeldin because he talked about crime and —
WILLIAMS: Right.
BOZELL: — and here is — this is a — this is a quote from MS — from NBC’s Lester Holt. He said, “fear” that “some would argue not by reality, but by videos of rampant lawlessness and some unsettling headlines.” So, he is accusing Zeldin of taking advantage of crime and not knowing what he's talking about.
WILLIAMS: Right.
BOZELL: Well, guess what? Zeldin was almost assassinated and his family was almost shot.
WILLIAMS: Yes, right.
BOZELL: He knows a thing or two.
WILLIAMS: Ah. You can’t make it up and —
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: NYP: Crime Topic Is Hurting the Democrats]
BOZELL: Crime — crime is the number one issue that will hurt the left.
WILLIAMS: — yes.
BOZELL: And so, you've got the media doing damage control and that is all this is.
WILLIAMS: Yeah. We’re just not allowed to talk about it. Alright, Brent Bozell, terrific stuff as always. We could go all day on this and I wish we could, but we can't. Bra — thank you so much, Brent.
BOZELL: Thank you, Ashley.
