Twitter said it mistakenly censored a tweet from House Republican candidate Rich McCormick Tuesday, the day of the Georgia primary election, less than a week after the social media platform disabled another video of the military veteran.
Users were unable to watch a video McCormick tweeted Tuesday showing images of him on the campaign trail if they were not logged into Twitter or were otherwise not following the Republican candidate. People who follow the military veteran or are already logged in have access to the video, which contains a “sensitive content” label.
“It’s going to be a great day! Primary vote today in Georgia and Trump Rallies are coming back! I feel very blessed to be an American and have the right to vote!” McCormick told his Twitter followers Tuesday morning. The tweet included a series of pro-Trump hashtags.
It’s going to be a great day! Primary vote today in Georgia and Trump Rallies are coming back! I feel very blessed to be an American and have the right to vote! #Trump #MAGA2020 #KAG2020TRUMPVICTORY #GA07 #Gapol #TuesdayThoughts #KAG2020 #MAGA #Blessed pic.twitter.com/O0QISJR8WO
— Dr. Rich McCormick for Congress (@RichforGA) June 9, 2020
McCormick, a physician and one of seven Republican candidates for Georgia’s 7th congressional district, tweeted a photo of the censored video shortly thereafter along with a comment criticizing Twitter for “censoring my campaign.” He frequently posts tweets praising President Donald Trump and other Republicans who are running for office across the country.
A Twitter spokesman told the Daily Caller News Foundation that McCormick’s Tuesday video was censored in error. The spokesman did not provide a reason for speaking anonymously, but Twitter’s press office often requests anonymity when speaking to journalists.
The spokesman offered an identical explanation June 4 after the company disabled another video McCormick tweeted of himself doing push ups for PTSD with his sons. That video contained the same warning label. (RELATED: Twitter Mistakenly Disables Video Of A GOP Candidate Doing A Pushup Challenge For PTSD Victims, Offers No Explanation)
McCormick’s campaign offered a potential reason why Twitter flagged the video, which doesn’t appear to violate any of the company’s content policies. One of McCormick’s opponents is possibly “reporting the videos as sensitive and Twitter has no internal controls over that,” campaign spokesman John Simpson told the DCNF without providing evidence.
Simpson added: “Still doesn’t absolve Twitter. If they are that itchy with the censorship trigger finger it’s a real problem.”
Other conservatives have criticized Twitter’s moderators for targeting them for political reasons.
The social media giant immediately took action against President Donald Trump’s May 29 tweet that suggested the “THUGS” rioting in Minneapolis are “dishonoring the memory of George Floyd,” and said that once the “looting starts, the shooting starts.” Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody May 25 after an officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, a video of the incident showed.
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