Mike Lee: You Aren't Going to Like It if a Democrat Gets the Power to Regulate Social Media, Keep the Government Away from It

On Thursday’s broadcast of Fox News Radio’s “Guy Benson Show,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) stated that the government should be kept “as far away” from the political handling of social media bias as possible, and warned that “even if you would like the policies that the current administration might employ if it started stepping into this arena,” you probably won’t like the policies that would be enacted by a Democratic administration using the same power.

Lee said, “You keep government as far away from it as you possibly can. Look, this may be attractive from a distance, to some, at any given moment, but it’s a very dangerous, slippery slope to start opening the door to having the government regulate these platforms.”

Lee agreed with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s statement that social media platforms shouldn’t be the arbiters of truth and political arguments, adding, “And I also think it’s wise to keep the government away from it. Governments have force as their only real weapon. You don’t want force deciding the art of persuasion or deciding the art of communication with social media.”

Host Guy Benson then raised the prospect of how a Democratic administration might use increased power to regulate social media.

Lee responded, “Yes, yes, that’s exactly the point. And that’s why I say you don’t want to open that door. Because even if you would like the policies that the current administration might employ if it started stepping into this arena, that’s good for now, if you agree with it. But it’s not good for, whether it’s a few months or a few years from now, whenever circumstances might change. And it’s just terrible precedent long term. This stuff doesn’t belong to the government. It’s not the government’s tool to play with. We need to keep the two of them separated.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett