A 2022 interview with Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz that resurfaced on conservative blogs was heavily edited to present a misleading portrayal of Minnesota’s governor. While in conversation with Maria Teresa Kumar on MSNBC, Walz said at the time, “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy” — a line that right-wing pundits have seized upon.
However, the full discussion between Kumar and Walz reveals there was more to the conversation that that (as Mediaite noted), with Walz’s comments specifically being around voter intimidation and getting people accurate information about where you can vote. While on the topic of misinformation, Kumar said, “And I want to just, before I ask you another question, 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 — these were called ‘shenanigans,’ but it’s becoming more ominous.”
“Can you talk a little bit about that and what you do to ensure that there are penalties for that?” Kumar asked.
“Yeah. Years ago it was the little things, telling people to vote the day after the election. And, you know, we kind of brushed them off,” Walz replied. “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,” Walz added. “There’s no guarantee of free speech on misinformation or 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? And I, you know, watching some states continue to weaken the protections around the ballot, I think, is what’s inspiring us to to lean into this.”
You can watch the full video with Walz above.
Conservative organization Fire, which describes itself as a defender of “free speech for all Americans in our courtrooms, on our campuses, and in our culture,” is among those who’ve used an edited clip from the interview to promote its own agenda.
“Each day, the American people face the all-important task of perpetuating self-government through reflection, debate, and choice,” Fire tweeted Thursday. “Free speech is the most effective tool we have at our disposal to inform ourselves. If the government obtains the power to suppress protected speech as ‘hateful’ or ‘misinformation,’ make no mistake: that power will be abused.”
