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- DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw has argued with AP over an article published this week.
- AP said she tweeted their reporter ‘s story and wrote “drag them” and threatened to set him “on fire”.
- Twitter blocked her for 12 hours for “abusive behavior,” but she denied the tweets were abusive.
Twitter on Friday locked down the account of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ press secretary because of tweets the company deemed “abusive.”
Christina Pushaw told him Insider Account was locked down for 12 hours, but Twitter has not given her a reason behind the decision. Twitter confirmed to Insider that his account was locked, claiming it was “in violation of Twitter’s rules on abusive behavior. “
The company did not respond to questions about the tweets deemed abusive, but Pushaw had fought with The Associated Press this week over an article published on Wednesday in which Brendan Farrington reported that one of the major donors to DeSantis had invested in Regeneron, the maker of a drug. used to treat COVID-19 which the governor has heavily promoted.
After the publication, Pushaw on several occasions struck down the story and the reporter on Twitter.
Read more: 11 feuds and controversies threatening to sink Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ rise to White House race in 2024
According to AP, she tweeted the article and wrote “drag them” in a post which was later deleted. In another tweet, she told Farrington that if AP didn’t change the story, she would “blow you up.” AP said she also retweeted a post that read “Light. Them. Up.” with reference to the output.
His tweets prompted AP to write a letter to the DeSantis office ask for his behavior to stop.
“This type of behavior can cause serious damage,” the letter said, adding that journalists are regularly the target of abuse, harassment and threats of violence.
“Although we may disagree on stories, it is unacceptable and dangerous for a public official to encourage systemic intimidation of journalists,” he continued. “This is the type of behavior that the United States government regularly criticizes in other countries.”
Twitter banned Pushaw’s account shortly after the letter was sent.
Pushaw rebuffed AP in an email to Insider, saying the backlash the reporter was receiving was “a direct result of his and AP’s decision to select the facts to support a false story.”
She said the PA title was “misleading” and “directly endangering Floridians by inappropriately politicizing Regeneron’s treatment, just for a cheap attack on Governor DeSantis.”
Other media have examined claims that one of DeSantis’ major donors, the hedge fund Citadel, has invested in Regeneron. Kirby Wilson, Tampa Bay Times reporter tweeted on Tuesday, before the AP article was published, that the federal government had already purchased every dose of Regeneron treatment before DeSantis started pushing the drug and before the latest COVID-19 wave in Florida.
Wilson also said that Citadel is not in the top 100 of Regeneron shareholders and that Regeneron only represents a small portion of Citadel’s holdings.
Pushaw also criticized Twitter for the decision to lock down his account, saying none of his tweets were abusive.
“It is appalling for a social media platform to ban the press secretary of a democratically elected official while allowing the Taliban to live tweet their conquest of Afghanistan,” she said.
Twitter did not respond to Insider’s question about the Taliban’s use of Twitter.
Do you have a tip? Contact this reporter at [email protected].
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