Biden admin stops trying to tell Americans which foreigners they can debate

The U.S. Department of the Treasury argued that it had to bar certain Lebanese speakers because they were on the terrorist list or under other US . economic sanctions.

The Foundation for Global Political Exchange grew out of the Beirut Exchange , a conference series started by American researcher Nicholas Noe in 2008 .

Noe 's organization believed that these conferences were protected by the First Amendment .

The Biden administration settled the Beirut Exchange case on Tuesday .

OFAC argued that an American audience was something of value, and therefore covered by sanctions.

In theory, the government might even be able to gag American journalists from speaking to undesirable foreigners.

The work of journalists and academics requires talking to "torturers, murderers, terrorists".