Dem Gov. Walz: ‘There’s No Guarantee to Free Speech on Misinformation or Hate Speech,’ ‘Especially Around our Democracy’

On Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) responded to a question on what he will do to make sure there are penalties for disinformation about elections by claiming that “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy.”

Host Maria Teresa Kumar asked, “I want to talk about what you just mentioned about misinformation, because oftentimes before, in previous political chapters, disinformation, telling people where to vote the wrong way, that was kind of — these were called — considered shenanigans, but it’s becoming more ominous. Can you talk a little bit about that and what you will do to ensure that there are penalties for that?”

Walz responded, “Yeah, years ago, it was the little things, telling people to vote the day after the election, and we kind of brushed them off. Now we know it’s intimidation at the ballot box. It’s undermining the idea that mail-in ballots aren’t legal. I think we need to push back on this. There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy. Tell the truth, where the voting places are, who can vote, who’s able to be there.”

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