MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuade said on Wednesday on “Katy Tur Reports” that former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit challenging his Twitter and Facebook bans were “dead on arrival.”
Guest-anchor Geoff Bennett asked, “Barbara, it strikes me if this suit is not dismissed, it is going to be opening up Donald trump to discovery, and Facebook and Twitter about what he was doing on January 6th, and the actions that led up to the insurrection.”
McQuade said, “That is absolutely right, Geoff.”
She continued, “This case is dead on arrival. I think that President Trump and his lawyers know it. I think this is more of a PR stunt than a legal case. They know this case will be summarily dismissed, and that just adds to the talking points that even the courts are out to get him.”
McQuade added, “The First Amendment is very clear. It states, ‘Congress shall pass no law.’ The courts have interpreted that to mean any form of government, so whether it is the executive branch or the legislative branch, the government can’t restrict free speech. But Google and Twitter are private actors. Just as much as you or I could throw somebody out of our homes if they came inside our homes and started screaming at our guests, in the same way as Google and Twitter can throw people off their platforms if they abuse their terms of service. I think this will be dismissed. I think Trump and his lawyers know they will never have to reach that moment of reckoning by providing discovery.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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