Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton told NBC10 Boston’s @Issue that the pro-Palestinian protests on or near college campuses, including several in Boston, have gone too far.
“We live in a country that values freedom of speech,” Moulton told Jeff Saperstone and Sue O’Connell on @Issue. “But these protests in many cases have threatened the safety of Jewish students. They've completely disrupted the operation of universities, preventing all the other kids from being able to go to school. So, the universities have a right, and I would argue in this case, even a responsibility to shut them down.”
Moulton also said that officers didn’t need to be heavy-handed in breaking up the pro-Palestinian protests. Students at Emerson College who witnessed the encampment at Boylston Place Alley being broken up described it as shocking — saying police pushed through the alley and violently removed protesters.
The Salem Congressman took issue with Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, who recently said he had seen “no credible evidence” that TikTok presents a national security risk just because its parent company is based in China. President Biden signed into law a bill that gives TikTok’s parent company two options: sell it to an approved buyer or see it banned in the U.S.
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“I strongly disagree with Senator Markey. I mean, the Communist Party of China controls the algorithm of the TikTok feeds. So that means that the Chinese Communist Party can decide what information is sent to our kids. It can decide what information is sent to key districts in swing states for the November election. So if China wants to sway the election, the Communist Party just needs to call up TikTok and say, hey, adjust the algorithm a little bit, adjust the feeds that certain people are getting in those states to make sure that Trump wins? So if that's not a national security threat, I'm not sure what is. It's a threat to our democracy. “
Moulton told @Issue that he might be willing to support embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson if House Republicans follow through on a threatened motion to vacate Johnson’s speakership after the House passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes military assistance for Ukraine .
“I think he should make a deal with us,” Moulton said on @Issue. “Look, Speaker Johnson is one of the most conservative Republican speakers in American history. I don't think we should just give him a free pass, but I think the bar would be pretty low for a deal. I think he could agree to bring up a few pieces of Democratic legislation, for example, that he might not otherwise want to give the House a vote on. And if he were able to do something like that, then I'd be very open to supporting him, because, frankly, the alternative to Speaker Johnson could be even worse.”
Asked if he’s concerned about President Biden winning re-election, Moulton told @Issue “ I am concerned. Candidly, I think that there's a good chance that Trump becomes the next president. And that's why we all have to work hard to make sure that Joe Biden wins this election. I think that a second Trump presidency would be devastating for our country.”
Last week, Moulton announced his plans to run for a sixth term, representing Massachusetts’ 6th District.
