Republicans at a House hearing Tuesday grilled Interior Department leaders over a rally on public land this summer that featured flag burning and vandalism, arguing the National Park Service should try to recoup damages while suggesting tougher screening for future permits.
Witnesses appearing before the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on Tuesday countered that free speech protections were always top of mind in such cases.
“With the First Amendment, the thumb is on the scale to approve permits with no barriers,” said Mark Lee Greenblatt, Interior’s inspector general.
Some lawmakers have characterized the rally, which began outside Washington’s Union Station on July 24, as aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist group.
