Republicans, members of the so-called “America First” party, claim to be laser-focused on the issues that matter to everyday Americans as the midterm elections approach. 

And what does that mean to Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee? Evidently, meddling with South Korea’s effort to stop the spread of disinformation and misinformation online. 

CNBC reported Thursday that Jordan led a group of lawmakers in sending a letter to South Korea’s Media and Communications Commission expressing concerns over a new law in the country that punishes large media outlets and publishers for deliberately spreading false information. The context here is that Jordan and the conservative movement — which often relies heavily on misinformation and disinformation to spread their propaganda — have spent several years now targeting people and institutions interested in, and competent in, combatting fake news online. 

Jordan and the MAGA movement are currently in lockstep with President Donald Trump, a man who has launched the most brazen assault on free speech, the free press and corporate independence of any president in modern history — if not ever.

And yet CNBC reported Jordan and his fellow Republican lawmakers claimed their concerns are centered on free-speech issues and protections for American companies:

“This amendment serves as a major threat to online speech and expression and would allow the KMCC to punish American companies and their users for exercising their constitutionally protected rights,” the lawmakers, including House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, wrote.

One can easily read that excerpt and presume Jordan and his colleagues are just caping for Trump-aligned social media companies — such as Elon Musk’s X platform and the Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta — that have been known for spreading misinformation and disinformation and could face scrutiny under South Korea’s new law. 

And all of this, I’d argue, contributes to a revealing display of the MAGA movement’s priorities with the midterms fast approaching. Are top Republican lawmakers homing in on stemming the healthcare crisis they’ve helped create with their massive cuts to federal programs? No. Are they doing anything substantive to end Trump’s deadly war with Iran as it kills scores of people and devastates the economy? Sure doesn’t seem like it. Are they doing anything to combat the corruption Trump has openly engaged in? Absolutely not. 

Instead, we’ve seen them focus on voter suppression efforts, deploying racist scare tactics and trifling away with MAGA-backed side quests like interfering with South Korea’s anti-misinformation efforts. 

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