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(Video: Fox News)
The move by credit card giants Visa and Mastercard to deny their services to tens of millions of Russians may be about putting severe financial pressure on Vladimir Putin to end his aggression against Ukraine, but some worry that it is setting a precedent that could soon be used against the left’s domestic political foes.
One of them is Fox News host Dan Bongino who warned that American leftists who have already used the “public-private partnership” to censor those who don’t agree with them could be inspired by the punitive measures overseas to push for similar denial of service to conservatives and Trump supporters.
He made his provocative remarks during Saturday’s edition of “Unfiltered” when he discussed the possibility that the authoritarian left could soon be calling for the use of the financial system to crush their adversaries with Kara Frederick, a research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation whose specialty is technology.
“Listen, this Russian disinformation label, this can get ugly as you well know, does the war in Ukraine open the door for these political narratives, you know for them to abuse that label and start attacking conservatives? Kara, we’re seeing it already, we’ve got a war in Ukraine going on and there are leftists calling for more censorship of people here?” Bongino asked.
“I think It absolutely opens the door,” replied Frederick. “They are going to politicize everything they can and remember, disinformation for the left means things that don’t agree with our narrative, things that the Biden administration doesn’t agree with…”
Bongino added, “The saddest part about this whole thing, I’m out to dinner with my wife tonight before I get on the air, and we’re having a conversation, and she asked me about Mastercard. She’s like ‘What do you think about Mastercard cutting off Putin and Russia, and then PayPal and other payment services?’
“And I said ‘you know what? Ordinarily, I would say wow that’s really terrific, good, it will put some pressure on them,” he said. “But you know what seriously concerns me? That the left will see this as a bat signal to go and turn this on their political enemies here at home and by the way, that’s not a conspiracy theory they’ve already done this kind of stuff…”
Some took to Twitter to attack Bongino but inadvertently validated his warning.
Dan Bongino has it almost correct… Visa and MasterCard are cutting off Russia, which of course should includes the many “RussianSympathizers” that make up the right-wing of the Republican Party.
— 🇺🇦Ann🌻Kids need to know the truth of US history (@AnnJR8) March 6, 2022
One can only hope you're right Dan.
DanBongino Sounds the Alarm on Visa, Mastercard Cutting Off Conservatives After Suspending Service to Russia: ‘That’s Not a Conspiracy Theory!’ https://t.co/A8gLoONWTO #SmartNews
— @RealOrangeBear (@realorangebear) March 6, 2022
On Sunday, social media giant Tik-Tok joined the growing list of corporations to suspend services to Russia, joining credit card, technology and energy companies, shipping and logistics services, and others.
“TikTok is an outlet for creativity and entertainment that can provide a source of relief and human connection during a time of war when people are facing immense tragedy and isolation,” the company said in a statement, adding that it had “no choice” but to pull the plug on Russians.
Also joining the cutting off of services to Russia was Netflix. “Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a spokesperson for the streaming media giant said.
Visa and Mastercard’s competitor American Express also pulled services to Russia.
For those who are quick to accuse Bongino of being an alarmist tinfoil hatter, one need only to look northward to Canada where only weeks ago, leftist Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the country’s Emergencies Act against peaceful truckers who were protesting his COVID vaccine mandates, leading to financial institutions freezing their bank accounts.
Considering fanaticism of the ideological left as well as the ongoing social media censorship carried out by their Silicon Valley allies, it’s not a reach to suggest that it could happen here.
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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.
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