Tim Murtaugh, a former senior adviser to US President Donald Trump and PR firm CEO has defended “absolute free speech” in a Brussels Signal interview.
The CEO of Line Drive Public Affairs criticised what he saw as rising censorship around the world.
Talking to Brussels Signal on February 20, he referred to video-sharing platform Rumble having filed a lawsuit against Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, accusing him of illegal censorship.
Murtaugh, who is also Rumble’s communication adviser, defended what he called the platform’s commitment to free speech and open discourse.
He said it was not the first time Rumble had been subjected to censorship attempts around the world.
Murtaugh pointed out Brazilian authorities had previously issued censorship orders targeting certain communications channels, including those carrying content from local politicians.
In a statement, Rumble argued that Judge Moraes’ orders had led to the suspension of accounts of politically outspoken US-based users without justification.
Murtaugh also recalled that, in 2023, the Brazilian Supreme Court had ordered the removal of other content, which Rumble refused to comply with and which resulted in the platform “blocking access from Brazil entirely, rather than take down users’ content”.
He voiced strong opposition to the actions of Judge Moraes, describing him as a key player in what he termed the fight against free speech.
The former communications adviser to Trump during the 2020 and 2024 US elections reiterated Rumble’s position: “Free speech should be absolute”.
Speaking at the Brussels Signal event on February 19, Murtaugh reinforced the platform’s philosophy that the solution to dealing with speech one disagreed with was simply more speech, not suppression of it.
“If you hear something you don’t like, the answer isn’t censorship — it’s more speech,” he argued.
“If you question information, the answer is more information. People are capable of weighing the evidence and forming their own opinions,” he said.
He challenged what he called the practice of appointing individuals as “truth arbitrators”, asking pointedly: “Who will trust those appointed as the arbiters of truth?”
Murtaugh also targeted US media outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post for their criticism of Rumble hosting content from Russian state media broadcaster RT.
“They regularly complain about Russian propaganda being featured on our platform. They ask: ‘How could you allow Russian TV on Rumble?’,” he said.
Murtaugh noted that while Rumble was banned in Russia for carrying dissenting content, YouTube was still operational in the country.
“Rumble is banned in Russia because we refuse to comply with Putin’s demands to censor dissident voices. Yet, YouTube is still allowed — what does that tell you about what they’ve agreed to?”
The Brussels Signal interview with Tim Murtaugh is available on our site today, February 21.
