Dem Rep. Smith on Kimmel: Trump Is Using His Power ‘to Coerce and Pressure People into Not Criticizing Him’

EXCERPT:

SMITH: "Look, I mean, there's a whole lot of different arguments, I've heard a lot of them — you know, Jimmy Kimmel said things that weren‘t true. It‘s a private company. They have the right to do what they want — in this huge debate. But the bottom line is, the president of the United States is using his power as president and our federal government to coerce and pressure people into not criticizing him in the media, in law firms, everywhere. And he‘s doing it in a way that is completely against the First Amendment. He‘s saying it publicly. He's pulling security clearances. He‘s pulling security details. He‘s filing lawsuits. He‘s using the FCC to threaten them. And the president is very open about it, he doesn't like to be criticized and he's going to silence people who do criticize him, and everybody in this country needs to be deeply concerned about how the president is using that power just for his own personal political aims. It is a deeply troubling situation."