Freshman Rep. Brandon Gill Exposes NPR CEO’s Hypocrisy in Explosive Hearing
For decades, it has been clear that PBS and NPR present a skewed perspective on political issues. These outlets have become virtually indistinguishable from the legacy media, offering audiences only one side of every story. As a result, every Republican presidential administration has attempted to cut their funding.
During his first term, President Donald Trump sought—unsuccessfully—to exclude public media funding from his administration’s annual budgets.
So far, Republican efforts to defund public media have fallen short. But that may soon change.
The House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) held a hearing on Wednesday titled “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the heads of NPR and PBS Accountable.” Republican members sought to hold Katherine Maher, CEO and President of NPR, and Paula Kerger, CEO and President of PBS, publicly accountable for the clear left-leaning bias in their news coverage. They argued that these media outlets should no longer be funded by taxpayer dollars.
One of the most striking moments of the hearing came when freshman Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill questioned Maher. Her far-left political views became impossible to hide as Gill skillfully and relentlessly exposed her hypocrisy—simply by confronting her with her own past Twitter posts.
Below is a partial transcript of the exchange via C-SPAN:
Brandon Gill: Ms. Maher … Would you say you generally agree or disagree with the following statement: The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.Katherine Maher: I would not say I agree with that.BG: That’s good to hear. It’s interesting because a lot of your thinking, as expressed by your public statements, is deeply infused with your economic and cultural Marxism.Do you believe that America is addicted to white supremacy?KM: I believe that I tweeted that. As I’ve said earlier, I believe much of my thinking has evolved over the last half decade.BG: It has evolved. Why did you tweet that?KM: I don’t recall the exact context, sir, so I wouldn’t be able to say.BG: Okay. Do you believe that America believes in black plunder and white democracy?KM: I don’t believe that, sir.BG: You tweeted that in reference to a book you were reading at the time—apparently The Case for Reparations.KM: I don’t think I’ve ever read that book, sir.BG: You tweeted about it. You said you took a day off to fully read The Case for Reparations. You put that on Twitter in January of 2020.KM: Apologies, I don’t recall that I did. I have no doubt that your tweet there is correct, but I don’t recall that.BG: Do you believe that white people inherently feel superior to other races?KM: I do not.BG: You don’t? You tweeted something to that effect. You said, “I grew up feeling superior. How white of me.” Why did you tweet that?KM: I think I was probably reflecting on what it was to grow up in an environment where I had lots of advantages.BG: It sounds like you’re saying that white people feel superior.KM: I don’t believe that anybody feels that way, sir. I was just reflecting on my own experiences.BG: Do you think that white people should pay reparations?KM: I have never said that, sir.BG: Yes, you did. You said it in January of 2020. You tweeted, “Yes, the North. Yes, all of us. Yes, America. Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations. Yes, on this day.”KM: I don’t believe that was a reference to fiscal reparations, sir.BG: What kind of reparations was it a reference to?KM: I think it was just a reference to the idea that we all owe much to the people who came before us.BG: That’s a bizarre way to frame what you tweeted. Okay, how much reparations have you personally paid?KM: Sir, I don’t believe that I’ve ever paid reparations.BG: Okay. Just for everybody else.KM: I’m not asking anyone to pay reparations.BG: It seems to be what you’re suggesting. Do you believe that looting is morally wrong?KM: I believe that looting is illegal, and I refer to it as counterproductive. I think it should be prosecuted.BG: Do you believe it’s morally wrong, though?KM: Of course.BG: Of course. Then why did you refer to it as counterproductive? It’s a very different way to describe it.KM: It is both morally wrong and counterproductive, as well as being illegal.BG: You tweeted, “It’s hard to be mad about protests,” in reference to the BLM protests, “not prioritizing the private property of a system of oppression.” You didn’t condemn the looting. You said that it was counterproductive. NPR also promoted a book called In Defense of Looting. Do you think that that’s an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars?KM: I’m unfamiliar with that book, sir, and I don’t believe that was at my time.BG: You tweeted that you read that book.KM: I don’t believe that I did read it.
Maher may have been telling the truth—that she didn’t read the book. Conservative commentator Mary Katherine Ham noted the irony of Maher’s admission. If she had read the book and agreed with it, she risked appearing extreme—something she was clearly trying to avoid. But by claiming on Twitter she had read it when she hadn’t, she simply came across as virtue-signaling—the lesser of the two evils.
Professor Jacobson pointed out that very few liberals actually read the works of Kendi, DiAngelo, Coates, and others. Instead, they bought the books to signal their virtue, perhaps displaying them in the background of Zoom meetings during COVID, feeling a sense of pride.
There’s a great deal of truth in that observation.
The exchange, shown below, continued as Gill pressed Maher on specific NPR articles with a clear left-leaning bias. Maher dodged and deflected, claiming she “didn’t recall” those pieces. After all, she couldn’t possibly be expected to read everything published on her own platform.
Overall, it was a standout moment for Rep. Gill—not so much for Maher.
PS: A little something extra. It turns out that Maher sits on Signal’s board of directors.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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