The overwhelmingly left-leaning executives at Twitter were virtually unanimous in their belief that then-President Donald Trump must be banned from the platform permanently – their only concern was finding a pretext, the latest installment of the ‘Twitter Files’ has revealed.
Bestselling American author Michael Shellenberger continued sharing the saga in a lengthy thread on Saturday night, shedding light on behind-the-scenes discussions in the aftermath of Trump’s temporary suspension on January 6, 2021.
According to one internal message, the former head of Trust and Safety, Yoel Roth, tried to reassure concerned colleagues that other senior executives “aren’t happy with where we are” and were actively taking steps to pressure then-CEO Jack Dorsey. Despite emphasizing the right of any user to return from a temporary suspension, Dorsey eventually approved a policy that would legitimize a permanent ban of Trump for “any” repeat violation.
“In this specific case, we’re changing our public interest approach for his account,” Roth explained to a sales executive, who had asked if this meant the company was dropping its official policy that allows content from elected officials, even if it violates Twitter’s rules, when it “directly contributes to understanding or discussion of a matter of public concern.”
In another letter, which Shellenberger described as “a kind of test case for the rationale for banning Trump,” Roth expressed irritation that Twitter could not ban US Representative Matt Gaetz because his alleged violation “doesn’t quite fit anywhere (duh)” and speculated about a “removal as a conspiracy that incites violence.”
Digging through the trove of communications, the journalists found just one unnamed junior staff member who, on January 7, attempted to raise concerns that such an openly arbitrary decision by a global online platform that can “gatekeep speech for the entire world” could be a “slippery slope.”