White House Official Encourages Americans to “Tattle” on Fellow Citizens

ACLJ Calls on President Obama to Repudiate Comments Urging Americans to "Flag" and Report "Fishy" Comments Opposing Healthcare Plan

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2009—In a move that seems designed to shut down honest debate, the White House's director of new media is encouraging Americans to report fellow citizens who make "fishy" statements about the president's healthcare plan.  The nation's top conservative public interest law firm, The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), asserts that the comments by White House Director of New Media Macon Phillips is an attack on free speech and designed to stifle public debate about the healthcare issue-including growing concerns from Americans opposed to making abortion services mandatory health benefits.  The ACLJ today called on President Barack Obama to repudiate the comments made Phillips.

"This is a very troubling attempt to stifle the free speech of Americans who have the constitutional right to express their opinion and concerns about healthcare," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ.  "This move is an attempt to intimidate those who have legitimate concerns about the healthcare plan.  And, worse, it turns the White House into some sort of self-appointed ‘speech police' - urging Americans to monitor and report those who engage in ‘fishy' speech.  What will the Obama Administration do with those names?  Who will be ‘flagged' next?  President Obama must reject this assault on free speech.  It's not only wrong, it directly contradicts his repeated promise to conduct a more open and transparent government."

In a recent White House blog post, Phillips claims that "[t]here is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there" both on the web and floating around in chain emails.  Phillips states that "[s]ince we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help.  If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

"In a nutshell, the White House is asking Americans to report on their neighbors, family and friends who disagree with the president's policy choices on healthcare," said Sekulow.  "The White House is also implying that you should think twice before sending an email disagreeing with the president, since it might end up being forwarded to them.  The White House email address says it all-let's ‘flag' those who disagree with us.  This new White House reporting program strikes at the heart of the First Amendment and has no place in this important debate about healthcare."

The ACLJ has heard from more than 90,000 Americans (including more than 70,000 who have signed an online petition) who are demanding that Congress take the legislative action necessary to keep abortion services from becoming mandatory health benefits as part of any national healthcare plan.  The online petition is posted on their website.

"I imagine those who oppose mandated abortion coverage are engaging in ‘fishy' speech and should be ‘flagged' and reported to the White House under this new reporting program," said Sekulow.  "What the White House is touting is absurd."

Sekulow said the ACLJ sent a letter to Obama urging him to reject the statements issued by his director of new media. 

Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses on constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C.  The ACLJ is online at www.ACLJ.org.  The ACLJ's online newsroom-which includes high-resolution, downloadable graphics, principal bios and ACLJ fact sheets-can be accessed at www.DeMossNews.com/ACLJ.

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