Douglass Mackey’s case is the latest example of the Democrats’ effort to restrict free speech and intimidate Americans into silence. During an episode of Tucker Carlson’s show since Mackey’s indictment, Carlson lamented: “The First Amendment is done. If someone had even told you even ten years ago that you could be indicted by the federal government and go to prison for ten years for making fun of Hillary Clinton on social media, you would not have believed it. It’s a free country. We have free speech.”
Mackey, who went by the Twitter handle @RickyVaughn99, was convicted of conspiring to deprive people of their right to vote in April over a meme he posted regarding the 2016 election. While the Justice Department touted that nearly 5,000 people sent texts based on the meme in a January 2021 release, Mackey denied creating the content, saying he found it on 4chan before posting it to Twitter.
“It’s called a ‘shit post,’ pardon my French,” Mackey told Carlson, describing the meme as a “joke” and an effort to “rile up everybody.”
Given the expansive interpretation of the statute prosecutors used to charge him, legal experts warned that Mackey’s conviction could set a dangerous precedent and chill free speech. Mackey himself voiced similar concern before his arrest, saying, “I knew that politicians could be vindictive and the federal government sometimes could be influenced by those politicians, and I know that they can sort of get very creative with federal statutes, so if I was the enemy of their candidate, then I thought that maybe they could cook something up.”
Indeed, Democrats used the opportunity to celebrate Mackey’s case, with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow dedicating an entire segment to it. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was swift to decry the “politicized prosecutions” carried out by the Justice Department, vowing to pardon Mackey in May.
As an advocate for free speech, Trump would also likely pardon Mr. Mackey. In fact, I’m willing to bet andy conservative candidate (or person in their right mind) would. What has happened here appears to be a massive overreach of power and if it is allowed to stand, will continue to set a residence for similar charges on other Americans.
Ep. 38 The First Amendment is done. Douglass Mackey is about to go to prison for mocking Hillary Clinton on the internet. We talked to him right before his sentencing. Remember as you watch that this could be you.
TIMESTAMPS:
(3:12) The Hillary Clinton meme
(4:20) Hillary’s… pic.twitter.com/MLwz2SboGr— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 9, 2023
It is important to note that Mackey is not the only person to face oppressive charges over making a joke, or expressing an opinion about a public figure. The Democratic Party has been relentless in its attack against free speech, using the courts and government to threaten anyone who disagrees with their ideology.