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#BlockElonMusk trends on Twitter after CEO posts link to controversial news site

Ministério Das Comunicações, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk is only three days into his ownership of Twitter, but he has already found himself in hot water after replying to Hillary Clinton’s post about Paul Pelosi’s attack with a link to a controversial news website. In the wake of Musk’s post and its fallout, the hashtag #BlockElonMusk trended on Twitter. 

On Saturday, former first lady and US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton posted a tweet calling out Republicans for spreading “hate and deranged conspiracy theories.” This, according to Clinton, helped push a man, 42-year-old David DePape, to attack House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, inside their home in San Francisco. 

Reports have indicated that DePape had “violently assaulted” Paul Pelosi with a hammer. Authorities who arrived at the Pelosi home found Paul and DePape wrestling for control of a hammer. The 82-year-old was later admitted to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital to undergo surgery to “repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands,” according to a report from The Hill

Musk responded to Clinton’s tweet, writing “There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye.” The Tesla CEO included a link to an article from the Santa Monica Observer, which alleged that Paul Pelosi was drunk at the time of the attack and that he was in a fight with a male prostitute. 

Musk’s post prompted strong reactions from his followers, with some ardent Tesla and SpaceX supporters calling out the CEO for spreading baseless claims. News publications, including conservative outlets such as Breitbart, dubbed Musk’s tweet a “conspiracy theory.” It did not take long before he deleted his tweet, though Musk has not posted a follow-up or explanation as to why he removed his post. 

As noted by The New York Times, the Santa Monica Observer has a reputation for publishing false news. Back in 2016, for example, the publication had claimed that Hillary Clinton had passed away and that a body double was instead sent to debate against Donald Trump. 

Musk’s tweet, despite its deletion, appeared enough to anger a notable portion of Twitter’s users, so much so that the #BlockElonMusk hashtag trended on the social media platform. Critics slammed the Tesla CEO for posting a link to the alleged false news site, which seems justified considering the nature of the violent crime against the 82-year old Paul Pelosi.

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#BlockElonMusk trends on Twitter after CEO posts link to controversial news site
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