On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House,” outgoing White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said it’s “Facebook’s decision” to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s access to Facebook and Instagram and stated that it’s important that “any of these platforms monitor incitements to violence and take action in response to those incitements.”
Host Nicolle Wallace asked, “The attack on Paul Pelosi I think really shattered not just people who know Speaker Pelosi and her…husband Paul Pelosi, but anyone in public life, because we live in a moment where political violence has been normalized in the way it’s talked about, polls reflect that a lot of people on the right think it is a reasonable means for carrying out an agenda, if nonviolent means don’t get you there. And Facebook has just said that it will put Donald Trump back on their platforms, Facebook and Instagram, really at a moment when it seems that our country doesn’t have this under control. In New Mexico, there’s a case involving a mastermind of four shootings, there’s the attack on Paul Pelosi and the threat seems everywhere. What are your thoughts about the decision to return Trump — one of the greatest purveyors of political misinformation the world over — to Facebook?”
Klain answered, “Well, that’s Facebook’s decision. And I think the important thing is that any of these platforms monitor incitements to violence and take action in response to those incitements. Look, I agree, Nicolle, one of the great challenges we have as a democracy is making sure that the rule of law and that the will at the ballot box are what decides questions in this country, not the rule of the mob and not violent acts. And that’s something President Biden spoke out very forcefully about before the last election. I think it’s one reason why Democrats did better than expected in last time’s midterms because I think a lot of voters in this country looked at the choice between the two parties and thought that some members of the Republican Party had just gotten too extreme. But there’s no place for political violence in our country, political violence of any variety, and I think it’s very important that responsible leaders in both parties continue to speak out about this and continue to say it’s just not the way we approach disputes in this country.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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