Twitter Penalizes Trump Jr.

Account restricted after he posted a video about the coronavirus
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 28, 2020 10:25 AM CDT
Twitter Restricts Account of Trump Jr.
Donald Trump Jr. speaks before a group of young Republicans at Dream City Church on June 23, 2020, in Phoenix.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Another member of the Trump family has run afoul of Twitter over a controversial video about COVID-19. The site says it has restricted the feed of Donald Trump Jr. for 12 hours and accused him of violating its rules about sharing misinformation about the coronavirus, reports the Guardian. The move came after he posted a video that calls hydroxychloroquine a "cure" and says people don't need to wear masks or be confined in lockdowns. President Trump himself retweeted the same video, and while Twitter deleted his tweet, it didn't restrict his account. It wasn't immediately clear why Trump Jr. received a stricter penalty than the president.

"Twitter suspending Don Jr. for sharing a viral video of medical professionals discussing their views on Hydroxychloroquine is further proof that Big Tech is intent on killing free expression online and is another instance of them committing election interference to stifle Republican voices," said a spokesman for the president's son, Andy Surabian, per CNBC. All of Trump Jr.'s tweets, save for the one about the video, are still visible. But he will be unable to tweet anything new until his 12-hour penalty expires. Twitter isn't the only site taking action against the video: Facebook and YouTube also have scrubbed it from their sites. CNN reports it was published by Breitbart News. (More Donald Trump Jr. stories.)

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