'Shawshank Redemption' actor Tim Robbins blasts Democrats, mainstream media for 'thuggish censorship'



Tim Robbins, star of "The Shawshank Redemption," slammed Democrats and the mainstream media for "thuggish censorship."

Actor Tim Robbins recently delivered a cutting takedown of the Democrats and the media.

Robbins applauded the reporting of independent journalists Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and Bari Weiss. The Hollywood actor thanked the journalists for "exposing a massive censorship operation by the U.S. government to control content on social media and eliminate any dissenting voices."

Robbins said the mainstream media "ignored" censorship in the United States and "personal freedoms" of Americans were being diminished.

Robbins specifically named and blasted three Democrats: Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) for threatening Taibbi with prosecution and imprisonment.

"What an embarrassing, shameful time for the Democrats and the ‘free’ press," Robbins wrote on Twitter. "You are losing any shred of credibility you had, you fucking fools."

Robbins also demanded that Julian Assange be released from prison.

\u201cRecently, independent journalists @mtaibbi @shellenberger @bariweiss have been exposing a massive censorship operation by the US government to control content on social media and eliminate any dissenting voices. Have you read their reporting? Or are you listening to the\u2026\u201d
— Tim Robbins (@Tim Robbins) 1682327606

Robbins told Variety this week, "I've always been curious about what goes on in leaders’ heads when they have to do something that is morally compromising for what they consider the greater good. I always look at that as a terrible no-win situation. And I often wonder if those measures that they take, that are immoral, are necessary.”

The celebrity added, "I'm talking about politicians that compromise themselves and make decisions that they believe are for the good of people, but those decisions involve censorship or lying or deception of some kind that leads to people getting hurt. And I wanted to play that guy, I want to deal with that moral complexity in trying to understand where the human being is. I think we've been through three and a half years of extraordinary and questionable choices made by people that are supposed to be leading their countries."

Robbins was previously critical of the draconian pandemic response by government officials.

Robbins believes that Americans became "tribal, angry, vengeful people" as a result of the pandemic.

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'But really, MSNBC: F*** you': Matt Taibbi makes clear he won't be lectured on integrity by a network that spent years pushing statist propaganda



Independent journalist and "Twitter Files" investigator Matt Taibbi appeared on MSNBC's "The Mehdi Hasan Show" Thursday to engage in debate with its titular host. It is evident from the participants' post-debate chatter online that neither journalist nor script-reader were able to move past their differences.

Prior to going on the show, Taibbi noted, "I’m looking forward to it as one would a root canal or rectal. I accepted the invitation because it would have been wrong to refuse, on the off chance [Hasan] was planning a good-faith discussion."

Taibbi originally raised the possibility of a public debate with Hasan in late March, after the MSNBC script-reader made a dig at the journalist's expense.

In an article entitled "Eat Me, MSNBC" on his Substack, queued up ahead of the interview, Taibbi added, "If you're reading this, things have gone another way."

Hasan opened the debate with an acrimonious four-minute introduction, in which he admitted to mocking Taibbi "for doing PR work for the world's richest man" and noted that Taibbi had, in turn, accused him of "being an ardent establishment moralist."

In the ensuing tangle, Taibbi and Hasan pored over the facts and implications raised in the Twitter Files.

Hasan, however, made things personal, implying a deficit of both competence and integrity on Taibbi's part; accusing Taibbi of "omitting crucial context"; and ultimately asking whether he had crossed a line in his work exposing collusion between government and big tech with Elon Musk's help.

"The hilarity of this coming from MSNBC, which did nothing but vomit up fake Russia hit stories that came straight from the FBI for six consecutive years, that you guys still haven't apologized for, is unbelievable," said Taibbi.

\u201cIn response to @mehdirhasan's attempted scolding, @mtaibbi says:\n\n"The hilarity of this coming from MSNBC which did nothing but vomit up fake Russiagate stories... that you guys still haven't apologized for." \n\nMehdi's defense: "I wasn't there in that period."\u201d
— Aaron Mat\u00e9 (@Aaron Mat\u00e9) 1680830744

Hasan displaced blame, noting he had not been around when his network advanced unsubstantiated claims later proven to be falsehoods.

Taibbi emphasized that the Twitter Files "are self-contained stories" that are "going to hold up over the test of time unlike your Russian story," then went on offense, pressing Hasan on his work downplaying the Hunter Biden laptop story.

"I don’t think I’ve ever written about the Hunter Biden story, so maybe you should apologize for putting words in my mouth. You said at the beginning I put words, I never said a word about the Hunter Biden story," responded Hasan.

Aaron Maté of the Gray Zone later noted on Twitter that Hasan had indeed discussed Hunter Biden and downplayed the story, "all intended at minimizing it, and the censorship that came with it."

\u201cHere's an example of @mehdirhasan, contrary to his new excuse-making, saying a word about the Hunter Biden story: all intended at minimizing it, and the censorship that came with it.\u201d
— Aaron Mat\u00e9 (@Aaron Mat\u00e9) 1680829731

In "Eat Me, MSNBC," which Taibbi published after all, the independent journalist underscored that the corporate liberal media outfit — of which Hasan is but a part — had played a big role in pushing the Russian collusion narrative.

"The network didn't just re-report this stuff; it became the favored launching pad for all the most blatant blue-Anon disinformation, like California congressman Adam Schiff saying he had 'more than circumstantial' evidence of collusion, or former Obama defense official Evelyn Farkas suggesting the Trump administration would try to destroy evidence if they 'found out how we knew what we knew about the Trump staff’s dealing with Russians.' Farkas later testified under oath that she 'didn’t know anything' about collusion," wrote Taibbi.

Rather than correct course after sources provided the network with faulty or outright false information, Taibbi said, "MSNBC did the opposite, hiring seemingly everyone who'd helped them down this reputation-tarnishing path."

After dragging MSNBC for getting so much so wrong for so long, Taibbi noted, "After throwing away all their standards, clowning themselves with years of wrong stories, doling out rice bowls to the procession of spooks who now clog their airwaves, and watching as their ratings predictably collapsed, now they want to give mea hard time. Not because I got anything wrong, but because they don’t like my opinions, or where things like the Twitter Files reports came from."

While Hasan got personal in the Thursday night debate, Taibbi indicated ahead of time his "beef with MSNBC is personal."

He noted that people who used to be his friends at the network involved in "one of the biggest train wrecks in the history of our business ... have the stones to point at me with this 'What happened to you?' routine. It’s rare that the following words are justified on every level, but really, MSNBC: F*** you."

Here is the interview in full:

Mehdi debates Matt Taibbi on the 'Twitter Files' and Elon Musk www.youtube.com

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James Woods to sue DNC over collusion with Twitter to censor Americans' speech: 'Scratch a liberal, and you will find a fascist every time'



Elon Musk on Friday released a revelatory series of insights into the efforts of Twitter's prior regime to interfere in the 2020 election.

One of the insights Musk shared via investigative reporter Matt Taibbi was that the Democratic National Committee demanded that Twitter censor 75-year-old conservative actor James Woods, among others.

With his suspicions confirmed and the truth finally brought to light, Woods announced on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" that he would be "suing the Democratic National Committee no matter what."

What's the background?

The New York Post began reporting on the contents of Hunter Biden's laptop on Oct. 14, 2020. Amid revelations about Hunter Biden's alleged depravities and then-presidential candidate Joe Biden's potential exposure to bad actors the world over, Woods took to Twitter on Oct. 24, 2020, to poke fun at both Bidens.

Woods' tweet paired an image of Hunter Biden apparently smoking illicit drugs while engaging in a blurred-out sexual act involving feet with the caption, "I'M ON TEAM TOE!"

The parodic slogan was in reference to then-candidate Joe Biden's slogan, "I'm on Team Joe." Woods added text reading, "Feets, don't fail me now!"

The DNC allegedly filed a report with Twitter censors who then dutifully censored Wood's speech.

Whereas Wood's tweet was deleted, the account of another user, @stephen_liuhuan, was suspended at the behest of the DNC, Fox News reported.

Taibbi reported, based on internal Twitter data shared on Friday, that "celebrities and unknowns alike could be removed or reviewed at the behest of a political party."

\u201c9. Celebrities and unknowns alike could be removed or reviewed at the behest of a political party:\u201d
— Matt Taibbi (@Matt Taibbi) 1670024072

Woods — who had been banned from Twitter two years earlier for making jokes at the expense of Democrats — was one of the many Americans who reportedly drew the ire of powerful partisans in Washington, D.C.

'Scratch a liberal, and you will find a fascist every time'

After the world apparently had confirmation that the Democratic political establishment and big tech censors had colluded, Woods spoke on the phone to Carlson on Friday night.

Woods said he was "shocked the way any other American would be if he were a target of a presidential candidate and a major political party."

While stunned that this evidence should come forward, Woods noted that on the whole, he is not altogether surprised, given he has "been a target of these people for six years."

"They have destroyed my career. They have destroyed my livelihood. They have destroyed my faith in a country that my family has defended in the military since the Revolutionary War," said Woods.

Carlson asked Woods if he intended to take action against the people who violated his First Amendment rights. Woods answered in the affirmative.

"I can guarantee you one thing, more than anything else you'll ever hear in your life: I will be getting a lawyer. I will be suing the Democratic National Committee no matter what," said Woods.

Woods noted that "win or lose" he will stand up for the rights of every American.

He also expressed hope that others will similarly sue and suggested that if enough people get on board, the DNC may be facing a class-action suit.

Woods also noted he won't back away from a fight: "I am not going to take this sitting down. I think these people are vermin for doing this to other people."

He added this scandal has bolstered his previous claim that if you "scratch a liberal, you will find a fascist every time."

\u201cNew documents shared by @elonmusk and journalist @mtaibbi reveal that the DNC pressured Twitter into removing a tweet from legendary actor @RealJamesWoods, who had criticized Hunter Biden.\n\nWoods joined us tonight to react.\u201d
— Tucker Carlson (@Tucker Carlson) 1670044450

Woods later called for Joe Biden to resign, writing, "How is the Twitter Files chicanery any different from Watergate in sum and substance? Nixon resigned when his henchmen tried to subvert free speech. Your turn, Mr. Biden."

\u201cHow is the Twitter Files chicanery any different from Watergate in sum and substance? \n\nNixon resigned when his henchmen tried to subvert free speech. \n\nYour turn, Mr. Biden.\u201d
— James Woods (@James Woods) 1670034885

Woods went on to thank his well-wishers in a tweet: "As heartbreaking as it is to see our nation highjacked by these grifters, it is equally heartwarming to see how many Americans still love this great nation."

He also thanked Elon Musk "for giving back to all Americans, and voices around the world, the most precious of gifts — free and open speech."

Breaking: Elon Musk releases a trove of emails detailing the internal debate at Twitter over censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story



Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk did as he promised and revealed on Friday a trove of emails detailing the internal debate at Twitter over the censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop story ahead of the 2020 election.

Musk tweeted an announcement about the emails, and after a delay, the "Twitter files" were released in a lengthy tweet thread by journalist Matt Taibbi.

\u201cWhat really happened with the Hunter Biden story suppression by Twitter will be published on Twitter at 5pm ET!\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1670013564

The first tweet garnered over 425 likes in one hour.

\u201cHere we go!! \ud83c\udf7f\ud83c\udf7f\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1670024655

"The 'Twitter Files' tell an incredible story from inside one of the world’s largest and most influential social media platforms. It is a Frankensteinian tale of a human-built mechanism grown out the control of its designer," Taibbi wrote, summarizing the documents.

One email showed that members of the Biden administration were reaching out to the Twitter team and asking them to "review" tweets which were later deleted by the company.

8. By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets were routine. One executive would write to another: “More to review from the Biden team.” The reply would come back: “Handled.” pic.twitter.com/mnv0YZI4af
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 2, 2022

Taibbi noted that both parties had access to Twitter for these requests, and they were honored from both the Biden and the Trump campaigns in 2020.

"This system wasn't balanced. It was based on contacts. Because Twitter was and is overwhelmingly staffed by people of one political orientation, there were more channels, more ways to complain, open to the left (well, Democrats) than the right," Taibbi explained.

Censoring the laptop story

He then jumped into the emails about the Hunter Biden laptop story.

"Twitter took extraordinary steps to suppress the story, removing links and posting warnings that it may be 'unsafe.' They even blocked its transmission via direct message, a tool hitherto reserved for extreme cases, e.g. child pornography," Taibbi wrote.

Initially, the decision was made to censor the story based on a dubious claim that information on the laptop might contain hacked documents from foreign governments.

“They just freelanced it,” said a former Twitter employee to Taibbi. “Hacking was the excuse, but within a few hours, pretty much everyone realized that wasn’t going to hold. But no one had the guts to reverse it.”

The thread also has emails from Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California asking that Twitter stop censoring the story because it's causing a backlash and stating that the censorship is against the First Amendment.

"I say this as a total Biden partisan and convinced he didn't do anything wrong. But the story now has become more about censorship than relatively innocuous emails and it's become a bigger deal than it would have been," wrote Khanna.

He adds, "in the heat of a Presidential campaign, restricting dissemination of newspaper articles (even if NY Post is far right) seems like it will invite more backlash than it will do good."

A final part shows emails from Carl Szabo of the research firm NetChoice that say Democrats are angry and want more moderation to dissuade conservatives from posting disinformation.

"If the companies moderated more, conservatives wouldn't even think to use social media for disinformation, misinformation, or otherwise," one passage read.

When pressed about how to moderate disinformation without violating the First Amendment, Democrats simply said, "The First Amendment isn't absolute," according to the emails.

Musk previously claimed that Twitter had interfered with elections, leading many to believe he would show how Democrats had used the platform to influence public opinion.

Here's more about the Twitter files:

Elon Musk drops bombshell about Twitter's censorship of Hunter Biden storywww.youtube.com