GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy stated on February 8 that President Joe Biden and Homeland security chief Alejandro Mayorkas are threatening Americans’ free speech, after the security agency declared that “misleading narratives” spur domestic terrorism.
Mayorkas had previously issued a “National Terrorism Advisory” stating that first among the key factors “contributing to the current heightened threat environment” was “The proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions. For example, there is widespread online proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding unsubstantiated widespread election fraud and COVID-19. Grievances associated with these themes inspired violent extremist attacks during 2021.”
“President Biden believes the greatest threat to the homeland is any American using their First Amendment right to question the Government,” McCarthy responded. “State-sponsored threats against free speech are un-American. Mayorkas should rescind this intimidation tactic immediately.”
“Our Homeland Security is more concerned about citizens having contrarian views than about illegal aliens breaking our immigration laws,” Rob Law, a former top staffer at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, said of the open-borders enthusiast Mayorkas.