Rand Paul says Republicans should leave Twitter

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told Fox News on Tuesday that Republicans should stop using Twitter because it is biased against conservatives. In the three hours prior, he had tweeted at least nine times.

“This is a private company that basically hates conservatives, hates Republicans. They don’t want us on there. And ultimately the answer maybe is Republicans need to just quit,” Paul claimed. “We just need to leave it because every day they allow hundreds, if not thousands of people to wish me and my family violence.”

Paul, who has previously presented himself as a defender of free speech, is mad at the way he has been treated on the platform by users who disagree with his denial of COVID-19 science.

On Monday, Paul received a package containing a suspicious white powder and a death threat at his home. Initial tests found the powder not to be dangerous, and the FBI was reported to have taken it to a lab for more testing.

Paul blamed the attack on Twitter critics, including singer Richard Marx. “As a repeated target of violence, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to encourage violence against me and my family. Just this weekend Richard Marx called for violence against me and now we receive this powder-filled letter.”

Marx had tweeted Sunday in support of a neighbor of Paul’s who pleaded guilty to assaulting the Kentucky Republican in 2017.

But even as Paul called on his party to stop using the social media site, he continued to use it on Tuesday, tweeting repeatedly.

In the hours prior to the interview he used his Twitter account to defend his refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccination; advertise his amendment to block medical research funding in China; and mock federal government spending on projects he deems unworthy, including scientific studies and education about climate science.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.