Goebbels quoted by Congressmen

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A Republican congressman appalled Democrats at a congressional hearing by quoting infamous Nazi Joseph Goebbels.

“A direct quote from Joseph Goebbels: ‘It is the absolute right of the state to supervise the formation of public opinion,’ and I think that may be what we’re discussing here,” said Texas’ Keith Self.

Goebbels was the minister of propaganda for the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. His role was to convince the German people to support Hitler’s regime, which he did so by spreading anti-Semitism and orchestrating the 1933 burning of “un-German” books in Berlin.

Self, 72, referenced Goebbels’ words during a House subcommittee meeting aimed at determining whether a “censorship industrial complex” existed. The Tuesday hearing was held after Republicans claimed that Biden-era policies aimed to stifle rightwing views.

Texas Democrat Rep. Julie Johnson heavily criticized Self’s remarks.

She later posted the clip of Self on X with the comment, “Joseph Goebbels was a literal Nazi and one of Hitler’s closest allies. To my Republican colleagues, it is probably best not to quote him during a congressional hearing.”

Self rebutted that Johnson’s “framing is completely misleading.”

He said: “I was referring to the philosophy of Nina Jankowicz, the former head of Biden’s Disinformation Governance Board. Probably best not to throw stones when your party supported funneling millions of dollars through Biden’s State Dept. to shape public opinion.”

At the hearing, Jankowicz, the leader of a pro-democracy organization and former executive director of the Disinformation Governance Board, said that “the premise of this hearing, the so called censorship industrial complex, is a fiction that has not only had profound impacts on my life and safety, but on our national security.” She later added that the “fiction is itself suppressing speech and stymieing critical research that protects our country.”

Despite Self’s defense, it isn’t the first time he’s used Goebbel quotes.

He cited the Nazi in 2010 when he was running for reelection as Collin County Judge. At the time, he tried to bite back at his opponent by saying, “if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” At the time, he claimed he was only using the widely-circulated yet unsubstantiated Goebbels quote to show that his opponent was “using the method.”

HuffPost reported that Self’s office did not directly comment on his bizarre Nazi quotes but instead said: “It is indisputable that the Biden administration weaponized its State Department to censor and suppress American citizens from their right to free speech.”

Self also recently received backlash after misgendering Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), the first openly transgender congresswoman.

So its not just trump who keep's copies of Nazi speeches near his bedside? Curious if its illegal to quote Hitler or Goebbels?

It is protected speech in America.

Where I live in Victoria Australia, there is a "Prohibition of Nazi Symbols and Gestures law":
The law in Victoria prohibits publicly quoting Hitler or other prominent Nazis or displaying Nazi symbols or gestures, including those that closely resemble them.
Exceptions to the Prohibition:
There are several exceptions to this rule, including:
For genuine academic, artistic, educational, or scientific purposes.
In making or publishing a fair and accurate report of any event or matter of public interest.
For genuine cultural or religious purposes.
In opposition to Nazism or related ideologies.
Penalties:
The penalty for committing an offense could be fines of up to $23,000, 12 months in prison, or both.

America is an outlier in this regard. Most speech is allowed. Exceptions are speech that is defamatory. Those are not police matters. Speech that poses an imminent threat is not allowed. There was a very famous case in the 70s where the courts allowed Nazis to march through a neighborhood populated by a lot of holocaust survivors.

The arguments for America’s free speech near absolutism is that without threat of jail bad people will be more open and thus we have a better idea with what you are dealing with. Another argument is that someday things change and what you believe might be considered hateful opening you up to legal repercussions. Another take is that what is considered hate speech today is actually a good idea ahead of it’s time.

It is MAGA derangement syndrome to think he was advocating for Goebbels policies. He was calling the Biden Administration Nazis. This is despicable enough as it is. No need to make it what it is not. It just makes progressives look deranged.

It 2016 when Trump was rising comparing him to Hitler as so many did was hyperbole at a ridiculous level. With all the annexation threats less so now. That said most colonial empires were not the Third Reich and all of Trumps bigoted taunts do not equal calls for mass extermination of groups.