Trump Signs Order To Punish Critics Of His Lying

The Associated Press reports:

President Donald Trump escalated his war on social media companies, signing an executive order Thursday challenging the liability protections that have served as a bedrock for unfettered speech on the internet.

Still, the move appears to be more about politics than substance, as the president aims to rally supporters after he lashed out at Twitter for applying fact checks to two of his tweets.

Trump said the fact checks were “editorial decisions” by Twitter and amounted to political activism. He said it should cost those companies their protection from lawsuits for what is posted on their platforms.

NEW: Pres. Trump signs executive order limiting liability protections for social media giants.

The order would direct executive branch agencies — including the FCC and the FTC — to analyze whether they can place new rules on the companies.

— Elma Aksalic (@ElmaAksalic) May 28, 2020

BREAKING: Alleging bias against conservatives, President Trump signs an order aimed at curbing protections for social media giants, saying “We’re fed up with it.” Legal experts have expressed doubts Trump can do much by himself, without an act of Congress. https://t.co/RNainXhaN7

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 28, 2020

JUST IN: Trump has signed an executive order designed to limit the legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for the content users post. https://t.co/qpwHNky4ib

— Axios (@axios) May 28, 2020