FEC Dems lay groundwork to ban Fox, WSJ political coverage
500+ The Geller Report by Pamela Gelle
If we were to believe the Democrats line of thinking here, then would it not stand to reason that any politician who took foreign money would be disqualified from serving the people? Foreign money influencing American politicians (i.e. Hillary Clinton’s millions, as well as Barack’s) is far more dangerous than foreign ownership in media.
This is nothing more than a coup against the First Amendment — totalitarianism in action in 21st century America.
Rest assured, left wing propaganda organs will be excluded. Bet on it.
“FEC Dems lay groundwork to ban Fox, WSJ political coverage,” Washington Examiner, By Paul Bedard, W September 29, 2016:
In their biggest threat yet to conservative media, Democrats on the Federal Election Commission are laying the groundwork to bar companies with even the tiniest foreign ownership from American politics, a move that could ban Fox, the Wall Street Journal and even the New York Times from covering political races or giving endorsements.
In a last-minute submission Wednesday, a top Democrat on the evenly split FEC proposed that the Thursday meeting of the commission begin the process to prohibit companies with foreign ownership as small as 5 percent “from funding expenditures, independent expenditures, or electioneering communications.”
Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said in her submission, “Given everything we have learned this year, it blinks reality to suggest that that there is no risk of foreign nationals taking advantage of current loopholes to intercede invisibly in American elections. This is a risk no member of the Federal Election Commission should be willing to tolerate.”
Under Weintraub’s proposal, entities that reach her foreign ownership target would conceivably be banned from advocating for a candidate’s election or defeat.
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Several media giants have at least 5 percent foreign ownership, some with as much as 25 percent. Included is News Corp, which owns Fox, the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal. The New York Times also has foreign ownership, as do many politically active firms like Ben & Jerry’s.
That prohibition could include Fox commentator Sean Hannity or Wall Street Journal editorial. And, according to one analysis, because foreign nationals also are prohibited from making electioneering communications, those media would not even be able to mention Donald Trump or Hillary Rodham Clinton, even if just covering them.
Democrats on the commission have been on a three-year campaign to limit the voice of conservative media, stopped by Republican commissioners who have warned that the First Amendment is under attack in the FEC.
The latest move was hinted at last month when Weintraub proposed another political ban on foreign-owned companies. Republicans countered with their proposal, but both were voted down. It was suggested that Weintraub tighten her proposal and her Wednesday submission calls for commission lawyers to design a foreign ownership rule.
“I am prepared to move that we address through rulemaking five discrete topics relating to foreign-national political spending and corporations: 1. Percentage of foreign ownership: 2. Board membership of corporation: 3. Foreign government ownership: 4. Type of corporation: and 5. Implementation measures,” she wrote.
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