WH press secretary says Biden admin is 'keeping a close eye' on Elon Musk's Twitter
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the Biden administration is "keeping a close eye" on Elon Musk's Twitter over concerns about "misinformation" on the platform.
Twitter erupted on Monday after Twitter CEO Elon Musk declared that the battle for freedom of speech is the final battle for civilization.
Earlier that same day, Musk tweeted, "Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?" He also warned that "Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why."
With these claims after weeks of headlines and commentary, a narrative has formed that Musk is the target of both Big Tech and media scorn.
Journalist Colin Wright tweeted, "The massive immune response we are seeing from Left-wing media and Big Tech to @elonmusk's commitment to free speech on Twitter should frighten you. It has revealed their rabid obsession for complete narrative control. This is a battle they cannot be allowed to win."
Many on the left are sounding the alarm about Elon Musk’s impact on Twitter. (FOX)
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Musk responded, "This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead."
This tweet, and a separate tweet with near identical messaging, caused a firestorm of commentary.
Conservative commentator Gabriella Hoffman tweeted, "Indeed. We don’t ever want to become like the USSR—which my family fled for the USA. 1A must be safeguarded. Thanks for doing your part, @elonmusk."
The Epoch Times Senior Editor Jan Jekielek shared a quote appearing to support the embattled tech CEO.
Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
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"Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.’ —William O. Douglas, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (hardly a conservative)."
Conservative commentator and lawyer Ron Coleman tweeted, "It’s true."
The Republican Party of Arizona tweeted, "*Reminder* Expressing concern about an election is FREE SPEECH."
Some commentators condemned Musk for the direction he has taken the platform, however.
FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2019, file photo a screen shows the price of Twitter stock at the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) (AP Photo)
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Ronald Brownstein, a CNN senior political analyst, tweeted, "Musk is unrelenting in his effort to recast hate speech, racism, intimidation & extremism as free speech & to denigrate any person or institution who stands up vs his efforts to mainstream the former as a threat to the latter. But '22 results showed that voters see the difference."
Podcaster Andy Ostroy posted a tweet saying, "Stop hiding behind free speech. This isn’t about free speech. It’s about being harmful to others…"