Elon Musk tweeted unfounded claims on Sunday morning about the violent attack against Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s husband.
“There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye,” wrote Musk in a reply to a tweet from Hillary Clinton, who called the attack against Paul Pelosi “shocking” but “not surprising.” Musk included a link to a local news website called the Santa Monica Observer, which has a history of publishing false articles, according to the Los Angeles Times.
By late Sunday morning, the tweet by Musk had been deleted.
Musk, who became the head of Twitter this week in a controversial $44 billion deal, was swiftly condemned by local leaders.
“Your town square is going to become the town garbage dump if you don’t recant this reprehensible, untrue post,” wrote Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who represents most of San Mateo County and parts of San Francisco.
“It only took 72 hours for Elon Musk, as Twitter CEO, to start posting conspiracy theories,” tweeted state Sen. Scott Wiener. “I wonder how long it’ll take him to reactivate Kanye, Trump & other toxic accounts.”
Musk’s tweet came mere hours after Pelosi released a statement about Friday’s attack at her San Francisco home, saying it had left her family feeling “heartbroken and traumatized.”
Paul Pelosi’s skull was fractured and he suffered serious injuries to his hands and right arm after a man broke into the couple’s Pacific Heights house.
A spokesperson for Pelosi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The San Francisco Police Department declined to comment.
At around 11 a.m. on Sunday, the Speaker of the House was seen leaving her home with a convoy of cars and heavily armed guards. She did not respond to requests for comment.
Pelosi just exited her Pacific Heights home. Didn’t respond to any questions from reporters here. Has a convoy of cars and heavily armed guards with her. https://t.co/ROYhD5PaTc pic.twitter.com/G8mDtTXJ9w
— Gabriel Lorenzo Greschler 🇺🇸🦧 (@ggreschler) October 30, 2022
The tweet by Musk comes as the tech mogul faces criticism for his proposals regarding Twitter’s free speech policies. On Thursday, Musk tried to quell those concerns, stating that he had bought the social media company to “have a common digital town square” with a “wide range of beliefs” being debated.Source: www.mercurynews.com