Source: The American Conservative
by Andrew Day
“MAGA conservatives have a principled reason to defend Khalil’s right to free speech, even if they don’t agree with his anti-Israel views. Free speech is a cornerstone of our republican system of government, as the Founders knew well. One early-modern aphorism, which Benjamin Franklin quoted approvingly in 1722, captures the relation between free speech and a free people: ‘Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.’ Conservatives tend to emphasize ordered, political liberty rather than individual rights, but in matters of free speech, the latter bolster the former. MAGA also has tactical reasons to defend Khalil’s constitutional rights. If his deportation, which a federal judge (who happens to be Jewish) has temporarily blocked, is allowed to go forward, the precedent could enable a future Democratic president to target conservatives.” (03/19/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/mahmoud-khalil-viewed-from-the-right/