Vice President Vance blasted CBS News’ Margaret Brennan over her comments linking the Holocaust and free speech.
On X, Vance reacted to a clip from Brennan’s recent interview on “Face the Nation” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where she appeared to connect free speech to a dark time in German history.
“This is a crazy exchange,” Vance wrote. “Does the media really think the Holocaust was caused by free speech?”
Brennan alleged during her Sunday morning interview that the Holocaust resulted from free speech being “weaponized.”
Her statement sparked widespread controversy as she discussed Vance’s critique of European leaders during his recent visit, accusing them of turning their backs on freedoms like free speech.
“What did all of this accomplish, other than irritating our allies?” Brennan asked Secretary Rubio, in reference to Vance’s remarks in Europe last week.
Rubio responded firmly, questioning why anyone would be upset over free speech. “Why would our allies or anybody be irritated by free speech and by someone giving their opinion? We are, after all, democracies.”
“The Munich – Munich Security Conference is largely a conference of democracies, in which one of the things that we cherish and value is the ability to speak freely and provide your opinions,” he added.
Rubio added that many of Vance’s remarks were important and needed to be voiced, stressing the value of dissent and open dialogue.
“People are allowed – you know, you don’t have to agree on someone’s speech,” Rubio said. “I happen to agree with a lot of what he said, but you don’t have to agree with someone’s speech to at least appreciate the fact they have a right to say it and that you should listen to it and see whether those criticisms are valid.”
Brennan countered, saying, “Well, he was standing in a country where free speech was weaponized to conduct a genocide.”
This is the first time I’ve heard the theory that the Holocaust wasn’t conducted with gas chambers but with free speech zones. pic.twitter.com/mpWm6UH2F4
— Michael Brendan Dougherty (@michaelbd) February 16, 2025
“And he met with the head of a political party that has far-right views and some historic ties to extreme groups,” she continued. “The context of that was changing the tone of it. And you know that, that the censorship was specifically about the right.”
However, Rubio disagreed, debunking Brennan’s claims outright. “Well, I have to disagree with you. I have to disagree with you,” he replied.
“Free speech was not used to conduct a genocide,” Rubio asserted. “The genocide was conducted by an authoritarian Nazi regime that happened to also be genocidal because they hated Jews and they hated minorities and they hated those that they – they had a list of people they hated, but primarily the Jews.”
“There was no free speech in Nazi Germany. There was none,” Rubio continued. “There was also no opposition in Nazi Germany. They were a sole and only party that governed that country. So that’s not an accurate reflection of history.”
Meanwhile, CBS News hosted another segment on “60 Minutes” that examined free speech policies in Germany the same day.
A guest, Dr. Matthäus Fink, discussed with journalist Sharyn Alfonsi how German authorities have been conducting pre-dawn raids and confiscating electronics under what they define as “hate speech.”
“What’s the typical reaction when the police show up at somebody’s door and they say, ‘Hey, we believe you wrote this on the internet’?” Alfonsi asked.
Fink explained that most people are shocked, given their assumption that they have a right to free speech.
“They say – in Germany we say, ‘Das wird man ja wohl noch sagen dürfen.’ So we are here with crimes of talking, posting on internet, and the people are surprised that this is really illegal to post these kind of words.”
He elaborated, saying offenders assume their remarks fall under free speech, only to be informed otherwise. “They don’t think it was illegal. And they say, ‘No, that’s my free speech.’ And we say, ‘No, you have free speech as well, but it is also has its limits.’”
Fink outlined the types of banned speech, including posting swastika images, denying the Holocaust, or public insults. “And it’s a crime to insult them online as well?” Alfonsi queried further.
“The fine could be even higher if you insult someone in the internet,” Fink explained. “Because in internet, it stays there. If we are talking face to face, you insult me, I insult you, okay. Finish. But if you’re in the internet, if I insult you or a politician…”
Both interviews coincided with Vice President Vance’s statements at the Munich Security Conference, where he expressed alarm over Europe’s policing of free speech.
“Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There’s no room for firewalls,” Vance stated. “You either uphold the principal or you don’t.”
She’s typical dim wit. Absolutely in favor or free speech as long as it’s HER free speech.
Anyone that watches or listens to or reads the old established media is wasting time and taking in propaganda, prevarications and misinformation straight from the democrat party’s playbook. We in America are now in the era similar to the Nazi and cold war media. Many, but thank goodness not all, in academia are complicit in proffering the prevarications and not supporting the truth and facts. Mr. “I am science” Fauci the American responsible for global pain suffering and deaths.