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Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Arizona's Rep. Crane on fake news: 'The enemy of tyranny is free speech'

Usrep elicrane

U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) | Eli Crane for Congress/Facebook

U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) | Eli Crane for Congress/Facebook

U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) took to Twitter on May 12 to share clips of a recent hearing in which he called out individuals for their contradictory comments toward news and media and defended Kari Lake against comments they made about her.

"The enemy of tyranny is free speech," Crane tweeted.

The hearing examined a possible overreach of the government in one of their Homeland Security programs that could be used to monitor false information online. As a part of the hearings, Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, noted in her bio as an award-winning author on radicalization and extremism, was asked to testify.

Miller-Idriss is the founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at the American University in Washington, where she works as a professor in the School of Education and the School of Public Affairs. She "regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress or briefs policy, security, education and intelligence agencies in the U.S., the United Nations, and other countries on trends in domestic violent extremism and strategies for prevention and disengagement" and is a frequent advisor or consultant for organizations seeking expertise on extremism in the media, her bio said.

Crane called out Miller-Idriss for comments she made. In a July 2022 opinion piece published by MSNBC, she said that the nation needs "massive investment in and commitment to countering disinformation at all levels. This includes holding tech companies accountable for dangerous and harmful information shared on their platforms. It requires strategies to prevent public and elected officials from sharing disinformation." Crane accused Miller-Idriss of advocating for free speech only when the content suits her goals.

Crane also took a stand against comments made about gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake by some of his colleagues in the room, who questioned why Lake was still saying that the election was falsely taken from her despite state officials saying that wasn't the case. Crane discredited that statement, saying elected officials were no longer trustworthy sources. Crane cited a recent Pew Research Center study finding only approximately 20% of citizens believe them.

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