On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) argued that Jimmy Kimmel’s indefinite suspension was thanks to government pressure and “I’m sure there will be lawsuits about this and there ought to be, right away.”
Schumer said, “Trump and his allies seem to want to shut down speech that they don’t like to hear. That is not what democracies do. That is what autocracies do. And it doesn’t matter whether you agree with Kimmel or not, he has the right to free speech. And so, it is just outrageous, it is indicative of autocracy. And I am just outraged by it. Again, this is what dictators do, this is what Xi would do, this is what Putin would do. We are not that country.”
He added, “They have a right to say it on ABC, they have a right to say it in newspapers, they have a right to say it to their friends and families. And this puts this country [on] a road that could go to autocracy if this keeps going.”
Schumer further stated that “the courts have always defended free speech. Let’s see if they step up to the plate, because I’m sure there will be lawsuits about this and there ought to be, right away.”
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