Elon Musk is now the new owner of Twitter. On Sunday, he tweeted an unproven conspiracy theory about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi. He shared a link to an article full of false claims against Nancy Pelosi published by a website that is well known for putting out fake news and incorrect information.
Musk, who has a massive audience on the social media platform with 112 million followers, posted the link in response to Hillary Clinton’s tweet. She shared her two cents about Paul Pelosi’s attack and a link to an article by the LA Times about the attacker’s far-right conspiracy theory beliefs.
Clinton linked that story with the message that the Republican Party’s continual spread of hate and crazy conspiracy theories has resulted in shocking but not surprising violence. She called for them to be held accountable for their words and subsequent consequences.
Musk replied to Clinton’s tweet on Sunday, saying there might be a tiny possibility that there was more to Paul Pelosi’s attack than meets the eye. He also linked a story on the Santa Monica Observer, a right-wing website known to create fake accounts and spread misinformation. According to an archived version of the article, the site questioned the circumstances around Paul Pelosi’s attack. By Sunday afternoon, the Santa Monica Observer website was no longer accessible.
Musk deleted the tweet later Sunday afternoon, but not before it had gained considerable views, getting over 28,000 retweets and more than 100,000 likes.
The Media Bias/Fact Check website lists the Santa Monica Observer as “low” on factual reporting. It says that the blog is a ‘questionable source’ because it portrays extreme bias and consistently promotes unfounded conspiracy theories and fake news.
Claims from the article that Musk linked in his Twitter response were in direct contradiction to the information given by the San Francisco Police Department about the attack on Paul Pelosi.
According to the police, Mr. Pelosi and the intruder did not know each other before the attack. The police characterized it as a violent break-in, contrary to what the Santa Monica Observer reported.
Authorities handling the case said they would not release the incident report because the case was still under investigation.
Police also said that the intruder, 42-year-old David DePape, broke into the San Francisco house of Nancy Pelosi, hoping to find her there. Police found zip ties, duct tape, and a hammer on him. He intended to keep her hostage and question her. DePape said he would break her knees if she lied to him.
DePape did not find Nancy Pelosi when he broke in as she was away in Washington, DC. He struck 82-year-old Paul Pelosi on his head, causing a severe skull fracture. Mr. Pelosi is still recovering.
The Santa Monica Observer previously published a fake news story claiming that Hillary Clinton died in the September 11 attacks and that she was just a clone that Democrats have been using.
Elon Musk’s tweet came just a few days after the finalization of his $44 million Twitter acquisition. People are wondering if Musk will make good on his promise to reinstate Donald Trump’s Twitter account.
People are also wondering what the future Twitter platform will look like.
Musk says he won’t be the chief decision maker about content and banned accounts, but instead will set up a “content moderation council” with diverse points of view. His tweets, however, paint a different picture.
He has been communicating with political figures on the right who are hoping for looser restrictions on Twitter, including a Republican candidate for the Secretary of State position in Arizona, who claims that Musk reinstated him on the platform after his account was suspended for a short time on Monday.
Musk’s profile now has a photo of himself as a toddler holding a telephone, labeling himself as “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator.” It remains to be seen just how far he is willing to go in his new role.
