Meadows Offers To Back Stripping Confederate Base Names In Return For Repeal Of Social Media Shield

The New York Times reports:

Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, has privately hinted that President Trump would drop his objection to stripping Confederate leaders’ names from military bases, which is threatening to derail the annual military policy bill, if Democrats agreed to repeal an important legal shield for social media companies.

Mr. Trump has threatened to veto the legislation, which authorizes pay raises for American troops, if it contains the base-renaming requirement, which drew bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

Mr. Meadows, according to the people, said that adding a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, considered the most consequential law governing speech on the internet, would help.

Mark Meadows hinted that President Trump would drop his objection to stripping Confederate leaders’ names from military bases if Democrats agreed to repeal Section 230. https://t.co/sjRWzAPHwW an ? story from @maggieNYT @CatieEdmondson

— David McCabe (@dmccabe) November 19, 2020