The latest release of CEO Elon Musk’s “Twitter Files” revealed how the social platform changed internal policies to permanently ban former President Donald Trump’s account, after pressure from former first lady Michelle Obama.
According to journalist Michael Shellenberger employees at the woke social media company manipulated a public policy concerning world leaders to oust Trump after Jan. 6, 2021.
The Breakthrough Institute founder dropped the fourth installment of the shocking behind the scene’s history of how Twitter censured conservatives on Saturday.
“For years, Twitter had resisted calls to ban Trump,” Shellenberger began.
He included a link to the 2018 policy that stated “blocking” world leaders, or killing their “controversial tweets” would suppress “important information” that the public should be allowed to view and discuss.
“It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions,” Twitter Mods added.
“But after the events of Jan 6, the internal and external pressure on Twitter CEO [Jack Dorsey] grows, he continued.
While Dorsey was on vacation in French Polynesia from Jan. 4-8, he handed off operations to “overwhelmingly progressive” senior executives Yoel Roth, the Global Head of Trust and Safety, along with Vijaye Gadde, the Head of Legal, Policy, & Trust.
The day after the Capitol riot, former first Lady Michelle Obama publicly leaned on Twitter to permanently ban Trump.
Obama wrote that their was a “gulf” between the public’s responses to Jan. 6 and the “peaceful protests” and racial justice movement that happened during the summer of 2020.
“True progress will be possibly only once we acknowledge that this disconnect exists and take steps to repair it,” the lengthy statement began.
“And that also means coming to grips with the reality that millions voted for a man so obviously willing to burn our democracy down for his own ego.”
She said that “now is a time for true patriotism,” when Trump voters needed to “see the reality of what they supported – and publicly and forcefully rebuke him and the actions of that mob.”
Obama also called on big tech to deploy “swift and serious consequences” to Trump.
“Now is the time for Silicone Valley companies to stop enabling this monstrous behavior – and go even further than they have already by permanently banning this man from their platforms and putting in place policies to prevent their technology from being used by the nation’s leaders to fuel insurrection,” she wrote.
The same day, Dorsey instructed employees to “remain consistent in its policies, including the rights of users to return to Twitter.
But Roth, who tweeted in 2017, that “actual Nazis” occupy the White House” during Trump’s time in office, told an employee that “people who care about this… aren’t happy with where we are.”
By 11:30 am on Jan. 7, Roth reported that Dorsey had approved a “repeat offender for civic integrity” system, where five strikes would result in permanent suspension.
While Roth initially told a colleague that Trump only had one of five strikes, and “incitement to violence” did not factor into the new integrity system, Trump’s account was banned the next day on Jan. 8.
The reason for the lifetime banishment was listed as “risk to further incitement of violence,” noting that it was “specifically” how his tweets were “being received and interpreted on and off Twitter.”
Twitter’s reason for booting the then-sitting president directly contradicted a 2019 policy statement concerning world leaders, which read that the platform did “not attempt to determine all potential interpretations of the content or its intent.”
The former president responded to the new Twitter revelations on Sunday night through his Truth Social account.
“How can the January 6th unselect committee make criminal referrals when they haven’t spoken about, or studied, those that rigged the 2020 election,” he exclaimed in all capital letters.
“The troops not being brought in by [Nancy] Pelosi, or now, the election fraud determinatively [sic] revealed by Twitter? These are the real criminals!!!”
In an incensed follow-up post, Trump added: “This was election interference.”
“The disinformation that was coming from the FBI and Facebook,” he continued. “It was coming from Adam Schiff and Democrat operatives.”
He said that the Hunter Biden laptop story was going to be “very damaging” to President Biden prior to the election, and they “were going to kill it.”
“Bottom line: The Election was rigged [and] stolen,” he concluded.