News/Commentary

‘Ted is linking to misleading data’: Elon Musk fact-checks Dem rep over latest Twitter Files

December 27, 2022 | | Print Article

U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., the new vice chair of the House Democratic caucus, can be counted on to run interference for any revelations being uncovered in the ongoing release of “Twitter Files” and he lived up to this billing on Monday — even if he did go a little too far out on the limb.

The latest release showed that the White House pushed Twitter to suppress what they deemed to be COVID-19 “misinformation,” while urging so-called “anti-vaxxxer” Alex Berenson and other skeptics to be banned.

Lieu responded to the revelations to claim the findings were “misleading” and was so committed to fighting misinformation that he employed his own share of misinformation only to get fact-checked by none other than Twitter chief Elon Musk himself. It all proved to be more than the Democrat could bear and he would soon delete his tweet altogether as if it had never happened.

But it did. His now-deleted tweet addressed to independent journalist David Zweig, author of the latest Twitter Files dump, read: “Dear @davidzweig: The tweet you cite is in fact misleading. People of all ages at high risk from COVID generally benefit from vaccines. Prior natural immunity may last only a few months. COVID appears to be a leading cause of death for children.”

“Ted is linking to misleading data,” Musk would counter,

There were reportedly “major errors” in the data Lieu cited suggesting COVID appears to be a leading cause of death for children, enough to prompt a call for the study to be fully retracted.

Research scientist and ophthalmologist Dr. Houman David Hemmati weighed in on the fray to offer Lieu some well-needed advice, albeit a bit too diplomatic in the process.

“[Rep. Lieu] is very well meaning but as his constituent I know that he’s gotten sucked into an echo chamber of voices that parrot the same information,” Hemmati tweeted. “It’s why I urge him to diversify the circle he engages with. Listen to opposing views. Be open to learning. It’ll earn more respect.”

If there was a lesson learned here it may be, as one social media user suggested, that Lieu just got a first-hand teaching that “the game is no longer rigged in his favor.”

Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:

Tom Tillison
Latest posts by Tom Tillison (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles