HOW DID SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES RESPOND TO THE STORY?
... a corrupt politician who shouldn’t even be allowed to run for the presidency. PRESIDENT TRUMP
Companies like Twitter and Facebook, already under pressure to police their platforms ahead of the election, quickly flagged the article and moved to restrict its accessibility online — an action decried as censorship by Trump and his supporters, including congressional Republicans.
Facebook spokesman Andy Stone announced on Twitter that the company was working to reduce the distribution of the article on its platform.
On Wednesday afternoon, Twitter began banning its users from sharing links to the article in tweets and direct messages because it violated the company’s policy that prohibits hacked content.
Republican lawmakers on Thursday announced plans to subpoena
Twitter chief executive officer Jack Dorsey. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said it was imperative that Dorsey “come before this committee and the American people, and explain why Twitter is abusing their corporate power to silence the press and to cover up allegations of corruption.”
Dorsey acknowledged on Twitter on Wednesday night that the company should have provided more context and information about its actions.
WHAT’S THE POLITICAL IMPACT?
With less than three weeks until Election Day and polls showing him trailing Biden, Trump appears to be returning to the subject of his opponent’s family to energize his base.
But in an election dominated by concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, it’s less certain Trump’s strategy will appeal to the voters he needs to win back, including moderate Republicans and suburban women.
Trump’s called for a full accounting of Biden’s conversations with Hunter and with Pozharskyi. Trump said in an interview with Newsmax that the Post had caught Biden “cold” with “serious” allegations.
At a campaign rally in Iowa on Wednesday night, Trump led with the Post story and called Biden “a corrupt politician who shouldn’t even be allowed to run for the presidency.”
Biden’s campaign, meanwhile, pointed to the recent Republican-led Senate investigation that found no evidence of wrongdoing on Biden’s part with regard to Ukraine. It also pointedly noted the involvement of Giuliani, saying his “discredited conspiracy theories and alliance with figures connected to Russian intelligence have been widely reported.”