The End of Democracy? Jonah Platt discusses Mahmoud Khalil’s Arrest and what it means for America

Watch and Listen

I don't want to talk about Mahmoud Khalil.

I really don't.

I don't want to have to participate

in the false premise that we've got to talk

about whatever the news cycle suggests we talk about

because I don't think what's happened to

Mahmoud Khalil is actually of any great

importance to anybody yet aside from

Mahmoud Khalil. Now, that could change

depending on how the courts rule and if

any legal precedents are set as a result

that either free up or block the Trump

administration from pursuing sweeping

arrests of this nature. 

That part matters, but it hasn't happened yet. 

And the rest to me really doesn't matter,

though you'd never know it from the way

everyone is carrying on about it. Should

the administration have been transparent

about the specific charges against him

from the start? You could argue that,

though, what actually matters is the

evidence they present in court. But, as

I often say to anti-Israel folks, if you

need to hide the truth in order to make

your argument stick, you probably don't

have an argument. It should stand on its

own merits, which Khalil's actions

should or should not as well. Do I find

these specific actions of this

administration to be the vanguard of

authoritarian evil threatening to take

down all of democracy as some on the

left are suggesting? No, I do not.

Because these sort of act now, prove the

legality later actions are the

administration's mo. All of these smash

and grabs taken together are certainly

troublesome. But the circumstances of

the detainment of a single Hamas

supporter do not worry me nearly as much

as say the richest man in the world

being given full access to our federal

budget. And furthermore, I find it very

hard to believe that the detention of

Mahmoud Khalil, whose alleged crime is

leading an organization that is

anti-American, pro-terrorist, pro-

murder, pro- harassment of Jews, is the

nail in the coffin of free speech. Is it

fair to be troubled by his detainment?

Sure. Is it the coming of the fascist

apocalypse? Nah. And to those who say,

"Well, first they'll come for Khalil,

next they'll come for you." No, they

won't. The easiest thing I do every day

is not associate myself with a terrorist

organization or harass college students

or destroy property or incite hate

against the country I live in. Remember,

it's not like this guy was arrested for

being anti-Trump or something. He's not

a political enemy of the acting

government. He's openly aligned with the

jihadist terror organization, which

makes him an actual enemy of everybody.

And I feel very confident I'm not going

to put myself in that position. And

neither are you. And really, this dude,

this dude is the hill the left wants to

die on. This is who they want to rally

around. I mean, AOC, sure, she hates the

Jews. Of course, she's going to get in

on it. But the Democratic Senate

Judiciary Committee tweeting free Mahmoud

Khalil, really? Were you all asleep

during the 2024 election? Like, what are

you doing? People literally die trying

to get to this country to enjoy its

freedoms and the opportunity to make a

better life for themselves and their

families. And Khalil gets here and

spends all his time trying to turn

college kids against it. And the left is

tripping over itself, running to defend

him. To me, it just reeks of, "Oo,

here's a great opportunity to oppose

Trump. Let's go balls to the wall for a

pro Hamas organizer." Really? And as

many have pointed out, none of these

folks have said a word about actual

American citizens being held hostage by

terrorists. But they go to bat for an

Algerian passport holding Syrian-born

supporter of those very terrorists who's

only even been in this country 10 months

longer than the hostages have been in

captivity. What the

hell? But again, none of this matters.

The lost liberals of the left have been

showing us their true stripes since

October 8th. This dog and pony show

around Khalil changes nothing. His

detention alone changes nothing material

for Jews in this country. And the way in

which he was apprehended does not herald

the end of free speech in America. So

honestly, until all the evidence is

actually presented, until our laws are

tested and ruled upon, and until a

precedent is set or rejected,

I'm not going to say a damn word about Mahmoud Khalil

oh fu-