Nicholas Sandmann appeals to Musk about ‘hidden’ Twitter files allowing death threats when he was 16

The initial release of Twitter’s files on speech suppression left many wondering what other wrongs the social media platform may have committed, including famed Covington kid Nicholas Sandmann who suggested potential complicity in endangering his life.

As the public awaits the release of the second round of information regarding Twitter’s collusion with government officials and corporate media to suppress certain stories, questions abound as to what other files might have been uncovered by the social media platform’s new owner Elon Musk.

In 2019, then-Covington Catholic High School student Sandmann had his reputation smeared by the media when he was filmed smiling while wearing a Make America Great Again hat after attending the March for Life and being confronted by Native American elder Nathan Phillips. His defamation lawsuit ended in a settlement, but that didn’t change the fact that after the incident his life had been allegedly threatened.

Early Sunday morning, Sandmann took to Twitter to ask Musk if any files had been uncovered pertaining to the permissibility of those threats under the watch of the former head of legal Vijaya Gadde when those accounts would typically be suspended for violating terms of service. Captioning a post from May 27, 2020, he wrote, “As I’m watching this all play out, I’m wondering if @elonmusk has any hidden twitter files relating to what went on here. Let’s be clear: under the watch of @vijaya they allowed these illegal threats when I was 16 years old.”

Warning: Language

The initial post included screenshots from the accounts of @HouseShoes, who currently has more than 30,000 followers, and the protected account of @Jack_Morrissey, with only 314 followers, wherein both suggested violent ends to not just Sandmann, but any supporter of then-President Donald Trump.

Sandman had written in part, “REMINDER: Twitter allows these two Verified accounts to remain on the platform after making Death Threats against me and my classmates. This is not only against their rules, it’s illegal.”

While Morrissey included a graphic image captioned, “#MAGAkids go screaming, hats first, into the woodchipper,” Shoes suggested burning and shooting of the Catholic school student, his classmates and anyone with similar viewpoints.

Sandmann wasn’t the only target of Uncle Shoes ire as in the early days of the Black Lives Matter protests that swept the nation after George Floyd died in police custody in May 2020, the account responded to then-President Donald Trump calling for the violence to be quelled by writing, “We need to burn Trump Tower you f*cking piece of sh*t. All of em.”

At the time of this posting, Musk had not responded directly to Sandmann’s inquiry and the release of part two of “The Twitter Files” had been delayed at least “another day or so.”

However, Musk had opined on the severity of what the first round of information uncovered and said in no uncertain terms, “Twitter acting by itself to suppress free speech is not a 1st amendment violation, but acting under orders from the government to suppress free speech, with no judicial review, is.”

Kevin Haggerty

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