Lawmakers slammed White House chief of staff Reince Priebus's remark from Sunday that the Trump administration is considering changing libel laws.
“I think it’s something that we’ve looked at, and how that gets executed or whether that goes anywhere is a different story,” Priebus told ABC’s "This Week."
That drew rebukes from both parties, with Rep. Justin Amash
Justin AmashRepublicans eye primaries in impeachment vote Michigan GOP lawmaker says he's 'strongly considering' impeachment Newly sworn in Republican House member after Capitol riot: 'I regret not bringing my gun to D.C.' MORE (R-Mich.) urging Americans to “fight any effort to abridge the freedom of speech or the press.”
White House has no power to change the #1stAmendment, and we Americans will fight any effort to abridge the freedom of speech or the press. https://t.co/xgTQjKI2Fk
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 30, 2017
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) — a frequent social media of the Trump administration — said Priebus’s statements “should alarm even Republicans” and said such action would be “marching America down the road to authoritarianism.”
This is marching America down the road to authoritarianism. Reince Preibus statements on stifling the press should alarm even Republicans. https://t.co/p7yTZaFCyq
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) April 30, 2017
Trump repeatedly spoke in favor of “opening up” libel laws during the campaign “so when [media] write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money.”
Any change to libel laws would likely require a constitutional amendment, because there are no federal libel laws.
