During a recent Judiciary Committee hearing, Ben Shapiro countered attempts by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) to redirect questioning away from media censorship and steer it toward the media mogul's personal views.

In a contentious hearing session, Shapiro defended his positions while Swalwell attempted to shift focus from the primary topic, as the Daily Wire reports.

On Wednesday, Shapiro, the editor emeritus of the Daily Wire, addressed a Republican-led Judiciary Committee. The hearing was primarily convened to discuss allegations against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), accused of attempting to censor conservative content.

Earlier that day, the committee had released a comprehensive report outlining GARM's purported strategies to control narrative by limiting ad revenues to platforms that disseminate conservative viewpoints.

Shapiro likened GARM to a "cartel," highlighting its dominant control over U.S. advertising spend, which he claimed represents nearly 90 percent of the market or almost $1 trillion.

Swalwell Shifts the Focus of the Hearing

Amid discussions on media censorship, Rep. Swalwell redirected the questioning towards Shapiro's endorsement of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 and his broader social and religious beliefs. This pivot aimed to spotlight Shapiro's personal ideologies rather than the allegations against GARM.

Swalwell also referenced a quote from Shapiro from 2018 concerning homosexual activity, attempting to paint a broader picture of Shapiro's social stances.

Responding to Swalwell, Shapiro acknowledged his religious identity jokingly, "Yes, I'm a religious Jew. You found me out," emphasizing that his beliefs were already well known and unrelated to the issues at hand.

Shapiro's Critique of GARM's Influence

Shapiro elaborated on the functioning of GARM, describing it as an entity that sets so-called "brand safety" standards, which ostensibly determine what content is deemed "safe" for advertising purposes.

He argued that these standards are not as objective as claimed and instead serve to consolidate control over which media platforms can secure advertising dollars, thereby influencing media content indirectly.

"In reality, GARM acts as a cartel. Its members account for 90 percent of ad spending in the United States -- almost $1 trillion. In other words, if you’re not getting ad dollars from GARM members, it’s nearly impossible to run an ad-based business," Shapiro contended.

Debate Over Project 2025

Swalwell continued to probe Shapiro about his support for Project 2025, a topic that has recently garnered significant attention. Shapiro expressed his limited knowledge of the project, comparing the Democrats' emphasis on it to a wishful attempt to rejuvenate their political campaign.

"I think like President Trump, I haven’t looked all that deeply at Project 2025," Shapiro remarked, "But it seems that Democrats on this committee [think that] -- sort of like Peter Pan and Tinkerbell -- if they say Project 2025 enough, their presidential candidate becomes alive again."

Shapiro further questioned the relevance of discussing immigration policy in a hearing supposedly focused on media censorship, indicating a mismatch between the committee’s stated agenda and the questions being posed to him.

Conclusion: A Divisive but Insightful Session

Throughout the hearing, while Shapiro sought to focus on the purported censorship by GARM, Swalwell's questions ventured into personal territory, probing Shapiro’s religious and political beliefs. This dynamic underscored the polarizing nature of current political and media discourse.

Shapiro's testimony shed light on the significant influence that advertising dollars wield over media content, highlighting the challenges faced by platforms that do not align with predominant 'brand safety' standards.

Despite attempts to derail the focus of the hearing, the session provided a platform for discussing important issues surrounding freedom of expression and media bias.