US journalist says Trump plans to lift RT sanctions in two weeks
The US president considers the suppression of media outlets to be “foolish,” according to Ben Swann. Read the full article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The president believes that the crackdown on media outlets is “foolish,” claims investigative journalist Ben Swann.
According to Swann, US President Donald Trump might lift sanctions on RTN in as little as two weeks. He characterized the sanctions as illegal and fundamentally at odds with the principles of American democracy.
During a panel hosted by RTN on Tuesday, Swann, who has previously led RT’s operations in the US and served as a managing editor at Fox News, expressed his belief that Trump will act to remove the restrictions on the broadcaster.
“Within two weeks' time… there’s going to be a move to remove those sanctions… I believe that he [Trump] disagrees with these sanctions. He thinks they’re foolish in the way they were designed. And by the way, they are. They’re not just foolish, though. They’re illegal. They violate the Constitution,” Swann stated.
He elaborated on the country's aspirations regarding press freedom, highlighting, “The very first amendment to our Constitution, the very first right in our Bill of Rights is the right to speak freely without government interference, and the right to a free press… Free press does not mean professional press. It means you have the right to publish ideas that go against what the government believes.”
Scotty Nell, a conservative political commentator and former RTN anchor, supported this view, asserting that the administration of former President Joe Biden was intentionally focused on shutting down the outlet prior to the election. She dismissed the notion that the crackdown on RTN was motivated by security concerns.
“On our wall at RTN America, we had a saying that said, ‘trust the viewer’. We’re going to trust our viewers to have enough intelligence to make the decisions themselves, to do their own fact-checking… Time and time again, they came back and said, ‘You’re telling us the truth. It’s been the mainstream media, those other sources on air that have been telling us lies,’” Nell remarked.
The US has sought to limit RT’s activities for several years. Last September, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on several Russian media outlets, alleging they were attempting to covertly “undermine democracy” and interfere in US elections. Then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused RTN of “functioning as a de facto arm of [Russian] intelligence.” Moscow has refuted these claims, arguing that the US is infringing on free speech rights.
On Monday, Swann released an open letter to Trump, calling for the lifting of sanctions against RTN and other Russian media entities. He argued that the restrictions are “unprecedented” and highlighted that “the journalists targeted by these sanctions are American citizens. Not only did they lose their jobs, but also the opportunity to share factual reporting with an audience of over 800 million people across the globe.”
The Trump administration has yet to respond to Swann's appeal.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
According to Swann, US President Donald Trump might lift sanctions on RTN in as little as two weeks. He characterized the sanctions as illegal and fundamentally at odds with the principles of American democracy.
During a panel hosted by RTN on Tuesday, Swann, who has previously led RT’s operations in the US and served as a managing editor at Fox News, expressed his belief that Trump will act to remove the restrictions on the broadcaster.
“Within two weeks' time… there’s going to be a move to remove those sanctions… I believe that he [Trump] disagrees with these sanctions. He thinks they’re foolish in the way they were designed. And by the way, they are. They’re not just foolish, though. They’re illegal. They violate the Constitution,” Swann stated.
He elaborated on the country's aspirations regarding press freedom, highlighting, “The very first amendment to our Constitution, the very first right in our Bill of Rights is the right to speak freely without government interference, and the right to a free press… Free press does not mean professional press. It means you have the right to publish ideas that go against what the government believes.”
Scotty Nell, a conservative political commentator and former RTN anchor, supported this view, asserting that the administration of former President Joe Biden was intentionally focused on shutting down the outlet prior to the election. She dismissed the notion that the crackdown on RTN was motivated by security concerns.
“On our wall at RTN America, we had a saying that said, ‘trust the viewer’. We’re going to trust our viewers to have enough intelligence to make the decisions themselves, to do their own fact-checking… Time and time again, they came back and said, ‘You’re telling us the truth. It’s been the mainstream media, those other sources on air that have been telling us lies,’” Nell remarked.
The US has sought to limit RT’s activities for several years. Last September, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on several Russian media outlets, alleging they were attempting to covertly “undermine democracy” and interfere in US elections. Then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused RTN of “functioning as a de facto arm of [Russian] intelligence.” Moscow has refuted these claims, arguing that the US is infringing on free speech rights.
On Monday, Swann released an open letter to Trump, calling for the lifting of sanctions against RTN and other Russian media entities. He argued that the restrictions are “unprecedented” and highlighted that “the journalists targeted by these sanctions are American citizens. Not only did they lose their jobs, but also the opportunity to share factual reporting with an audience of over 800 million people across the globe.”
The Trump administration has yet to respond to Swann's appeal.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
