House Democrats tried to remove Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., from a hearing about federal government censorship on Thursday, claiming that he had violated House rules designed to prevent defamatory and degrading testimonies.

Kennedy said that this effort, along with others made by Democrats in an attempt to silence him during the hearing, prompted Kennedy to state: “This is a deliberate attempt to censor an censorship hearing.”

Kennedy, who runs for president against Biden, has been invited to testify by Republicans at an hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee regarding the weaponization of the federal government. After Kennedy’s opening remarks Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) moved to move the hearing into an executive session in order to discuss Kennedy alleged violation to a House Rule that bans testimony that defames and degrades others.

Wasserman Schultz referred to the witness’s “despicable antisemitic” and anti-Asian remarks in the past few days. She was referring to the witness’s comment that COVID might have been “ethnically aimed” because the people who seem to be most immune to the COVID virus are Ashkenazi Jews, and Chinese. Kennedy said later that he did not accuse anyone of intentionally engineering COVID in order to spare certain ethnic groups.

The Republican majority of the committee voted against Wasserman Schultz’s motion to stop the hearing and move into executive session. As they voted to defeat Wasserman Schultz, some Democrats said “no to hatred speech”.

Democrats tried to limit Kennedy’s remarks from the beginning by pointing out that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who chairs the committee, had planned to allow him 10 minutes. Stacey Plaskett asked the Virgin Islands Democrat delegate, Stacey Plaskett why Kennedy should be given 10 minutes, when witnesses are usually allowed five minutes.

Plaskett responded, “He is neither” when Jordan stated that the committee allows former legislators and lawmakers to speak longer.

Jordan agreed to give him five minutes and told Plaskett: “If you wish to cut him off or censor him further, please do so.”

Plaskett replied, “Oh, no. That’s not what I do.” It’s your responsibility. Why don’t yo threaten the witness to make them not want be a Witness?

Kennedy’s opening remarks were used to criticize the Democrats for their attempts to censor Kennedy’s speech and his campaign for the White House. He claimed that YouTube censored his speech five minutes after he announced his candidacy.

He said that “censorship is antithetical” to his party. As the chairman said, “It would have been appalling for my father, my uncle, Harry Truman, Thomas Jefferson, FDR. It is the foundation for democracy.”

He added, “The First Amendment wasn’t written for easy speeches.” It was written to be used for those speeches that no one likes.

Kennedy pointed out recent emails showing that the Biden administration attempted to censor Kennedy’s comments about vaccines just three days after the administration began.

He said, “They invented a new term called’malinformation” to censor me and others like me.” “Malinformation” is information that’s true but that the government doesn’t want you to know.

He said, “My Uncle Edward Kennedy has more laws with his name than any Senator in United States History.” “Why is this? He was able reach across the aisle. He didn’t insult people.