Is Freedom of Speech in Danger?

追加: 2026-04-29

[00:00:00]The DOJ officially charging former FBI director James Comey with two felony counts knowingly making a threat against the president of the United States and transmitting an interstate communication containing a threat to kill the president. All of this comes from his sea shells 8647 post on X >> carrying each of those charges carry a maximum of 10 years in prison. So he's looking to doing up to 20 years. What's your reaction about James Comey? Boys and girls, the fact that we have indicted James Comey for posting an image of seashells is ridiculous. There is a reason that we have freedom of speech in America. I if somebody reads 8647 as an actual incitement to violence where they think somebody is going to go from, you know, I wasn't going to throw my life away and attempt to kill somebody to now, you know what, I am going to throw my life away and attempt to kill somebody based on seashells that say 8647. Also, it's patently absurd to me. The most obvious reading of 86 is to get rid of. If every time somebody says to you, "Get rid of that person," you think they mean to go and kill them, you live in a very different world than I live in. So, when we think about freedom of speech, we need to be giving the most like wide latitude humanly possible.

[00:01:11]Now, if somebody says, like, if we're going to point somebody out, when uh what's his name? Uh, Hassan says, "If you don't like whatever, uh, you should," and he says, "Kil, Tim Scott, I don't even remember what it was about, but that's pretty direct." So, if we're going to let that one slide, posting a picture of seashells saying 8647, it's just ridiculous. Right now, the Trump administration, I absolutely beg you, do not do anything from a legal lawfare perspective that even has a mild whiff of impropriy. They have come after you relentlessly and stupidly and foolishly and in ways that have just absolutely tarnished their reputation. And if you only go after people that it's like, okay, this one is obviously really blatant. We cannot let this stand. I was talking about this at the beginning of the show. You have laws enforce them.

[00:01:59]But if you start enforcing them to this point, this is where we really start getting draconian. Everybody has to look over their shoulder. Everybody has to be afraid. It starts pushing people harder onto teams because you want the protection. And you will lose people that up to this point haven't been afraid to stand in the middle of the road and say what they think is true and everybody starts saying what they need to say to be on a party to know that they're going to get protected. That is a terrible place to put everybody. We want everybody in a position where they say what they believe to be true knowing that they have huge latitude that if they like start veering towards something that they get checked. Yes.

[00:02:34]But going all the way to indicting a guy for posting seashells that say 8647 is crazy. So this is one where we have got to remind people to pump the brakes. You become the bad guy so fast it is very distressing. Use decorum. Give grace.

[00:02:51]Give a ton of latitude. I get it. This guy's a political enemy. I understand why there's frustration with him. I get it. But if you're going to pursue somebody and not have this rebound back on you when you lose power, you want to make sure that you had restraint. Win the war of looking like the stable person in the room. And right now, man, the Republican party under Trump does not look like that. So when you've got China looking more restrained than the US, godamn. So please kids, this one ising stupid. Don't pursue this.

[00:03:24]>> How would you define incitement to violence though? Like if you had to make it as a policy, >> if you say something along the lines of that person should be killed, somebody should kill that person. We know there are people out with guns, maybe somebody should use them. Like that is >> hinting at like murder, violence, guns.

[00:03:40]>> You you've got to be saying it like if you if you get like 2x clever and it's like, okay, well, if you know all the context of that, that is obviously somebody calling for violence. No. Like I get it. I get it. you sent a subliminal message out into the public and it should be condemned and people should be like this person is an and we absolutely shouldn't tolerate that. But if you're not just out and out saying it, we have the first amendment for a reason because you start getting into interpretation. I did not read 8647 as James Comey's and James Comey. I don't know the guy.

[00:04:12]pluses or minuses. So I don't give a but I was like he wants him out of the presidency to make the immediate leap that he wants the president to be murdered. Oh my god. Like it a reasonable doubt exists for a reason.

[00:04:26]And that one has as much reasonable doubt as you could possibly convey. I do not think a reasonable person hears 86 anybody and thinks oh they mean kill him. If a mafia boss goes up to me and says, "Yo, 86 this guy." Then I might be like, "Whoa, hey, >> mafia boss, FBI director."

[00:04:45]>> This is the That was the uh hand shaking meme.

[00:04:48]>> Oh, Jesus. So, yeah, I think we have to That lands a little too hard, Drew. Uh yeah, I do think that we need to be very careful because eventually that case law is going to be interpreted by the person that you despise, >> which is especially right in front of the midterms, you know, it could flip.

[00:05:09]Like this this this entire decision can get turned 360 in a year. But >> we shall see.

[00:05:14]>> I'd be curious to jump in. Um, how does this like I feel like there's this trend of trying to punish people for things they've said like that like we're seeing now with the FCC investigating Kimmel.

[00:05:24]How do you feel about that?

[00:05:25]>> Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.

[00:05:36]>> So, investigating Kimmel is also stupid.

[00:05:38]This is one of those where again just an obscene amount of reasonable doubt that it could have been a joke about the age gap which is what he says it is which I'm totally fine with. Also guys please want comedians to point out the most like unsayable thing in the world. We should want that from them. And so again I don't think that what he's saying is an incitement to violence. Now, I certainly understand that when you aggregate all of the things that are being said, you've had three attempts on President Trump's life. So, I think that that's a very real thing. And I think that the rhetoric that we see pouring out from all over the place um is creating a real problem. Populist moments create a real problem. But if that is just a reality that we have to face from having social media accounts and everybody being able to say this stuff and it just creates this background problem because listen you should be able to say if you really think Trump is a Hitler-like figure you should be able to say that now if the consequence of you know 10,000 people that have real voices online saying that this guy is like Hitler results in people making an attempt on his life. I still don't think that that means that you go and start arresting people for saying that. I think that that means that there is a cost to having freedom of speech. And I'm saying I'm willing to pay that cost. Now, the fact that we have drawn lines to say if you go say he is Hitlerike and you should go kill him.

[00:07:05]Yes. Now I get why. Or if you even say he's like Hitler and I really hope that the next uh Churchill rises up and treats him the same way. Cool. That's not nearly veiled enough for people to get away with. There are definitely lines. I trust the Supreme Court to draw those lines. But the FCC going after Kimmel is dumb. There was nothing in that joke that I think people should go after because man, you open that and people are just going to come after the comedians on your side. You don't want to be in the world of like, is that what he meant? Unless it is just blatantly obvious, let it ride. That is freedom of speech. Freedom of speech has a cost and it is well worth paying. And I'm sure that also extends to Britain and Miami and some of these other places where we've seen people tweeting things, having a social media opinion, and then getting arrested, getting thrown in prison and all these things. Again, not incitements of violence, but criticisms and critiques on institutions, people, certain countries, things like that.

[00:08:00]>> The UK is a joke. The UK is a joke. I don't know what they're thinking that you guys are a parody of yourself. I cannot believe some of the people that you guys have locked up for the things that they've said. It is absolutely ridiculous. It is authoritarian rule.

[00:08:15]You're going to destroy your own country. And I weep because my wife is British. Some of the people that I love the most in the world live in England.

[00:08:25]And so the last thing I want to see is you guys becoming the very thing that George Orwell warned against. Your own son trying to talk you guys off a ledge and nonetheless you're racing towards doing it. I It really is. You guys look like buffoons. It is absolutely moronic.

[00:08:42]Immediately stop. That is just so stupid. Thanks for watching this clip from the Tom Billu Show. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe so you never miss one of these in the future.

[00:08:51]And if you want to catch us live, you can join us Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7 a.m. Pacific time. I hope to see you there.