Jordan calls on Nadler to hold House Judiciary hearing on 'dangerous trend' of 'cancel culture'

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Jim Jordan: Not sure GOP can work with 'radically left' Dems, pans 'Lincoln Project' folks who oppose Trump

Jordan spoke to Fox News Digital ahead of his CPAC speech Sunday.

EXCLUSIVE: The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan on Monday is calling on Chairman Jerrold Nadler to hold a hearing to "address the scourge of cancel culture" in the United States, amid what he called a "dangerous trend" of "silencing and censoring certain political speech."

In a letter to Nadler, D-N.Y., obtained by Fox News, Jordan, R-Ohio, said, "The wave of cancel culture spreading the nation is a serious threat to fundamental free speech rights in the United States."

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"From newsrooms to college campuses to social media giants, we have seen a dangerous trend toward silencing and censoring certain political speech," Jordan wrote. "As the committee entrusted with upholding the Constitution and our fundamental liberties, our first full committee hearing for the 117th Congress must examine this cancel culture sweeping America."

Jordan said the First Amendment, which "guarantees to all Americans the right to speak freely," has "allowed our country to develop and maintain a political discourse fueled by the free exchange of ideas."

"This freedom has empowered risk-takers and innovators. It has shaped bold new ideas and given us a prosperous democracy," Jordan wrote. "Quite simply, it has made the United States the envy of the world."

But Jordan said that in the current climate, "our shared commitment to free speech principles is eroding under demands for the censorship and silencing of certain speech."

Jordan, listing several examples, including college campuses canceling lectures because students disagree with the speaker; a New York Times editorial page editor, James Bennett, resigning after the newsroom disagreed with an op-ed penned by GOP Sen. Tom Cotton; Amazon’s removal of a book written by a conservative author; and social media companies like Twitter and Facebook, which he said "have censored and de-platformed prominent conservatives—including the sitting President of the United States."

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Jordan was referring to Twitter's and Facebook’s move to permanently suspend former President Trump from their platforms in the wake of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.

"Cancel culture is a dangerous phenomenon whether you agree or disagree with the views being censored," Jordan said. "Our society must always promote the free exchange of ideas, not cancel the ideas with which we disagree."

Jordan warned that "if cancel culture continues unchallenged, it is not just the unpopular or controversial viewpoints that are at risk."

"Every viewpoint and every idea—whether widely accepted now or not—runs the risk of eventually falling into disfavor with the ever-changing standards of cancel culture," he wrote.

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Jordan said that cancel culture’s "long-term consequences to our democracy and constitutional framework are serious and substantial."

"We must fight this trend before it is too late," he wrote. "There is no better issue on which Republicans and Democrats can work together to address in our first full committee hearing than to address the scourge of cancel culture in the United States."

Nadler did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment on whether the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing focused on cancel culture. 

Jordan’s letter to Nadler comes a day after the Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, concluded. The theme of the 2021 CPAC was "America Uncancelled," and Jordan’s speech was entirely focused on cancel culture.

Trump also spoke at CPAC, and addressed cancel culture.

"For the next four years, the brave Republicans in this room will be at the heart of the effort to oppose the radical Democrats, the fake news media and their toxic cancel culture," Trump said. "And I want you to know that I am going to continue to fight right by your side. We will do what we have done right from the beginning which is to win."