Ron Howard's Simple Musings

WHY ISN'T IS A CRIME FOR SENATORS TO OPENLY LIE

 In the U.S., openly lying about a political issue is generally not a crime due to strong First Amendment protections for free speech, even if the statement is false or misleading. However, there are exceptions:

1. Defamation (Libel/Slander): If a false statement damages someone's reputation, they may have legal grounds for a lawsuit.
2. Fraud: If the lie is used to obtain money, votes, or other benefits through deception, it could be considered fraud.
3. Election Laws: Some states have laws against knowingly spreading false information to mislead voters about when, where, or how to vote.
4. Incitement & Threats: If a false statement encourages violence or lawbreaking, it may not be protected speech.

While lying about political issues is often unethical, it usually does not result in criminal charges unless it falls into one of these exceptions; which brings me to the reason for todays' blog post.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been vocal in his opposition to the recent Republican-proposed continuing resolution (CR) bill. He criticized the bill for proposing cuts to essential programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits, and public schools, arguing that these reductions are intended to fund tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations.

In a CNN interview with Jake Tapper, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed her disagreement with Schumer's decision to advance the funding bill, emphasizing that it "turns the federal government into a slush fund for Donald Trump and Elon Musk."

We know that this these statements were outright lies intended to vilify the Republic party and prompt enough votes to force a shutdown of the American government. There were absolutely no proposed cuts to the government programs referenced. 

There were many other Democrats repeating these same lies intended to incite anger and opposition to the Republican party. So my question is this: Why is legal for the people who make our laws to openly lie about facts and to openly attempt to incite opposition and violence to their political rivals?