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Tony Romm
Editor covering technology policy
Twitter's chief executive, Jack Dorsey, telephoned Democratic Representative Ilhann Omar on Tuesday and confirmed the company's decision to allow President Trump to send a tweet that subsequently came full of death threats against the member. of Congress.
The appeal, which had never been reported before, dealt with an incendiary video broadcast by Trump on April 12 describing Omar discussing the attacks of September 11, 2001 interspersed with film footage burning. The clip did not include the full context of Omar's remarks, taken from a public event on the broader issue of Islamophobia.
Omar asked Dorsey to explain why Twitter did not remove Trump's tweet, according to someone close to the conversation who reportedly spoke on condition of anonymity because the call was private. Dorsey said the president's tweet did not violate company rules, confirmed a second person from Twitter.
Dorsey also pointed out that the tweet and video had already been viewed and shared well beyond the site, said one of the sources. The executive of Twitter, however, told Omar that the tech giant should do a better job of eliminating hatred and harassment of the site, according to the two people familiar with the call.
On Thursday, a spokesman for Omar declined to comment. After the president's tweet, Omar says April 14 that she had witnessed an "increase in direct threats to my life – many referring directly to the president's video or responding to it". Other Democratic leaders also condemned Trump.
In a statement, Twitter confirmed that the call had occurred. "During their conversation, [Dorsey] pointed out that death threats, incitement to violence and hateful behavior are not allowed on Twitter, "said the company." We have invested heavily in technology to proactively highlight this type We will continue to focus on reducing the burden on the target person, and our team has always been in touch with Omar's office. "
The White House has not responded to a request for comment.
Trump is one of Twitter's most popular but controversial users, whose political bursts are broadcast daily to nearly 60 million subscribers. Critics say his comments often violate the site's rules prohibiting hate speech, attacks based on personal characteristics and incitement to violence. But Twitter finally allowed the president to tweet without limit, arguing that it was in the public interest to allow a head of state to communicate these views unhindered.
But in recent weeks, Twitter has indicated that it is rethinking this policy. The company's executives recently announced that they were considering introducing a new approach that would provide more context for tweets that its rules would have banned, but which have nevertheless been allowed to stay on the site at cause of the speaker. Such a policy could lead to public ratings on Trump's own tweets.
Dorsey's contact with Omar occurred the same day that Twitter's General Manager met with Trump at the White House, a meeting convened at the invitation of the President. During the conversation, Trump spent a lot of time expressing his concerns that Twitter is deliberately targeting and suppressing his supporters, the Post reported.
[Trump met with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey — and complained about his follower count]
Trump made these claims in connection with his belief that social media sites are biased against conservatives. But Dorsey said that Twitter's efforts to combat spam were causing fluctuations in the number of subscribers followers, even noting that he had been affected.
When asked about this meeting, Twitter said in a statement that Dorsey and the president had also discussed the 2020 elections and efforts to curb the opioid epidemic. A source at the time called the meeting cordial.
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