Twitter hit Donald Trump Jr. with a temporary suspension Tuesday after he shared a viral video of doctors talking about the use of hydroxychloroquine in the fight against coronavirus.
Trump Jr.’s spokesman Andrew Surabian shared the message Twitter sent explaining the suspension and the post that had violated the company’s “policy on spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.”
“Big Tech is the biggest threat to free expression in America today & they’re continuing to engage in open election interference – full stop,” Surabian commented. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Don Jr. And His Spokesman Are Still Locked Out Of Their Accounts 12 Hours After Bitcoin Hack)
BREAKING: @Twitter & @jack have suspended @DonaldJTrumpJr for posting a viral video of medical doctors talking about Hydroxychloroquine.
Big Tech is the biggest threat to free expression in America today & they’re continuing to engage in open election interference – full stop. pic.twitter.com/7dJbauq43O
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) July 28, 2020
Surabian later released a full statement on the suspension:
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.
While there is indeed much disagreement in the medical community about the efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine in treating coronavirus, there have been studies reported on by “mainstream” outlets like CNN, suggesting that it may in fact be an effective treatment. Those pretending otherwise are lying for political reasons.
It is beyond the pale for Twitter to silence someone for sharing the views of medical professionals who happen to dissent with their anti-Hydroxychloroquine narrative.
The original video, posted at Breitbart News, showed a number of doctors in Washington, D.C., speaking about their own positive experiences in using hydroxychloroquine in conjunction with other treatments for the novel coronavirus.
Trump Jr. shared the video and captioned it, “Must watch,” before it was apparently removed by Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. (RELATED: Experimental Drug Trump Frequently Touts Helped COVID-19 Patients Survive, Study Finds)
The use of hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus has become hyperpartisan since early positive reports led President Donald Trump to speak in favor of using it.
As Surabian’s statement notes, there is not yet scientific consensus on use of the drug for treatment of coronavirus.
Harvey Risch, M.D., Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at Yale, defended the use of hydroxychloroquine in Newsweek. Risch argued that hydroxychloroquine was “highly effective” when administered in early stages, saying “tens of thousands of patients with COVID-19 are dying unnecessarily” because hydroxychloroquine was not being used.
David Gorski wrote a pseudonymous piece on the blog “Respectful Insolence,” calling his defense of the drug’s use “embarrassingly bad.” He calls into question the methods and results of most of the scientific studies Risch invokes in his defense, as well as the inferences Risch draws from them.
“Hydroxychloroquine to is the acupuncture of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gorski writes. “Like acupuncture, hydroxychloroquine is an intervention with a very low prior plausibility … whose cultists behave just like acupuncture cultists when it comes to evidence.”