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ICYMI: Hogan Under Fire for Censoring and Banning Critics

Feb 07, 2017

For Immediate Release:
February 7, 2017

 
ICYMI: Hogan Under Fire for Censoring and Banning Critics
Governor Hogan is coming under fire for censoring and banning critics from his official Facebook page
 
Annapolis, Md. – Instead of listening to his constituents’ concerns about Trump’s impact on Maryland, Hogan and his team were caught deleting Trump-related posts on Facebook and even banning some commenters from posting entirely.
 
The Baltimore Sun editorial board equated Hogan’s actions this way:
If Governor Hogan held a town hall meeting and a large number of people showed up in a coordinated effort to persuade him to take a particular position on a valid issue of public concern, would he kick them out, strike their participation from the record and ban them from speaking out in the future? That’s the equivalent of what’s going on here.
 
Since then, Hogan has been making excuses instead of apologizing for his actions. The Governor owes Marylanders answers for why it is official policy to censor and ban anyone who opposes his views.
 
See below for a rundown of the coverage:
Baltimore Sun (editorial): “What Mr. Hogan is doing in terms of deleting comments is clearly not in the public’s interest, and to the extent that it insulates him from understanding issues that animate his constituents so much that they join in a ‘coordinated effort,’ it’s not in his interests either.”
 
WJZ: Report: Comments Deleted, Facebookers Banned From Gov.’s Page For Anti-Trump Posts
 
Diamondback: Governor Hogan’s team deleted Facebook comments urging him to speak out on immigration ban
 
WMDT: Maryland’s Democratic Party says Governor Larry Hogan’s administration is deleting Trump comments from his Facebook page, as well as banning social media users.
 
The following statement was released by Maryland Democratic Party’s executive director Chuck Conner:
“Maybe instead of making excuses, Governor Hogan should listen to his constituents and apologize for silencing their voices when they’re worried about Trump’s impact on Maryland. The Governor owes Marylanders answers for why it is appears to be official policy to censor and ban anyone who opposes his views.”
 
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