Donald Trump's former senior adviser Jason Miller has claimed that the US President's intervention in Britain's free speech crisis is "personal".
Diplomats from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) travelled to London in March to "affirm the importance of freedom of expression in the UK and across Europe", according to The Telegraph.
During their visit, the US delegation met with several UK activists who had been detained for praying silently outside abortion clinics. These included Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, Rose Docherty, Adam Smith-Connor, Livia Tossici-Bolt and Father Sean Gough, a Catholic priest.
This marks the latest effort by US officials to address free speech concerns in the UK, with the delegation engaging with both government representatives and activists during their time in London.
Jason Miller has claimed Donald Trump's intervention in Britain's free speech crisis is 'personal'
GB News / Reuters
Discussing Trump's latest move on GB News, Miller told host Camilla Tominey: "There's restrictions on free speech rights all around the world by the way, it's not just the UK.
"I think you're going to see the State Department be very active in pushing for free speech rights all around the world, and particularly in democracies, where it should exist."
Highlighting how free speech is often "taken for granted" in America, Miller added: "In the United States, we very much take for granted our First Amendment rights, that's the right to free speech. Literally, the First Amendment has to do with free speech.
"But I think in any civilised society, they should have the ability for free speech. And even if sometimes that's stupid free speech."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Donald Trump and his administration have taken a keen interest in free speech in BritainReutersHitting out at one of the UK's most recent cases of imprisonment over free speech laws, Miller criticised the sentence term for Lucy Connolly, who had her appeal dismissed after being jailed for 31 months.
Miller said: "In the case of Lucy Connolly for example, clearly what she said was completely stupid, there's no defence for it.
"However, 31 months in prison when you have violent people who have done just horrific acts that get out in far less time."
On Trump's involvement in Britain's free speech laws, Miller stressed that the issue is a "personal" one for the President.
Miller told GB News that there should be a 'fight for free speech'
GB News
Miller concluded: "Keep in mind with President Trump, this is personal, on free speech. You think about how he was de-platformed by the major free social media platforms in his own political campaigns.
"You also look at the way they suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop story. But there should be free speech, there should be a fight for free speech."
He added: "And I'm glad that the State Department at President Trump's direction is using the bully pulpit to advocate for that."
