The suppression of conservative voices by the Biden administration is "something you see out of an Orwellian novel or in China," said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., on Newsmax on Tuesday.
"All of this is shocking when you put it all together," Schmitt said during an appearance on "Rob Schmitt Tonight" following email disclosures by House committees that officials with the Department of Homeland Security created a "disinformation" group at Stanford University to help censor Americans' speech on social media ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
"When we filed the lawsuit, we uncovered email messages and text messages from high-ranking government officials with senior officials at social media companies to suppress speech, almost exclusively conservative speech, whether it was about COVID, whether it's about the Hunter Biden laptop, whatever that was, they were working against conservatives," Schmitt told Newsmax.
He was the Missouri attorney general when the state filed a lawsuit in 2022 alleging that the federal government overstepped in its efforts to convince social media companies to address postings that could result in vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic or affect elections.
"You see this information coming out today with the House Weaponization Committee. I'm glad they're continuing that work, and it just shows how vast this really was … the tentacles run deep, big tech, biggest companies in the world, institutes of higher learning, like Stanford were working with the government to flag these posts, and this ought to scare people.
"Whether you're Republican, or you're Democrat, or whatever you are, the idea that the government would be this involved with suppressing speech they don't like is something you'd see out of an Orwellian novel or in China."
A judge in July prohibited several federal agencies and officials of the Biden administration from working with social media companies about "protected speech," a decision called "a blow to censorship" by one of the Republican officials whose lawsuit prompted the ruling.
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE -- See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.