Secretary of State Marco Rubio firmly rejected a suggestion made by CBS “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan, who had awkwardly claimed that “free speech” was “weaponized” by Nazi Germany in carrying out the genocide of Jews during the Holocaust.
“I have to disagree with you: Free speech was not used to conduct a genocide,” Rubio responded quickly to Brennan. “The genocide was carried out by a totalitarian Nazi regime that was also driven by genocidal hatred, particularly against Jews, minorities, and others on their list of targeted groups. But the primary target was the Jews.”
He continued, “In Nazi Germany, there was no free speech. There was none. And there was no opposition either. The country was ruled by a single party, and that was the only party in power. So that portrayal of history is not accurate.”
Brennan had been trying to push Rubio into criticizing Vice President J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich, Germany, in which Vance criticized Europe for suppressing free speech in the name of combating hate speech.
“Why would our allies or anyone be upset by free speech or by someone expressing their opinion?” Rubio asked. “After all, we are democracies. The Munich Security Conference is largely composed of democracies, where one of the things we hold dear is the ability to express ourselves freely and voice our opinions. So if anyone is upset about his remarks, they don’t have to agree with him, but getting upset about it actually supports his point.”
Rubio went on, “I thought it was actually a pretty historic speech. Whether you agree with him or not, the points he made about Europe are valid. We are worried that the core values that unite us with Europe, like free speech, democracy, and our shared history of defeating two World Wars and the Soviet Union, are under threat. These values have been the foundation of our alliance. And during the Cold War, we stood against censorship and oppression, among other things.”
“The message of his speech was that there is a growing decline in free speech and tolerance for differing opinions in Europe, and that’s worrying because it’s not just a loss of military or economic power; it’s an erosion of the very values that bind us together in this transatlantic partnership everyone talks about.”
Rubio concluded, “And I believe that allies, friends, and partners who have stood side by side for 80 years should be able to have open and honest discussions without feeling insulted or offended. I’ve spoken with foreign ministers from many European countries. Some of them might not have liked the speech or agreed with it, but they continue to engage with us on the many issues that unite us.”
{Matzav.com}