Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, tweeted and deleted an unsubstantiated anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory Sunday morning about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband from a website that has a history of publishing information about fake.
Musk responded to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she tweeted a Los Angeles Times story about how David DePape, the suspect in the attack on Paul Pelosi, had spread far-right conspiracy theories.
Clinton posted on Twitter link to that story along with the message: “The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and crazy conspiracy theories. It’s shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result. As citizens, we must hold them accountable for the words and actions that follow”.
Musk wrote to Clinton at 8:15 a.m. Sunday, linking to a story published on a right-wing website called the Santa Monica Observer that questioned the circumstances of the attack on Pelosi, according to an archived version of the story. “There is a small possibility that there may be more to this story than meets the eye,” he wrote. (The website was no longer accessible late Sunday morning.)
Musk deleted the tweet early Sunday afternoon. As of late Sunday morning, it had more than 24,000 retweets and more than 86,000 likes, and was quickly gaining more traction.
The fact-checking website Media Bias/Fact Check rates the Santa Monica Observer as a “questionable source” based on “routine publication of false and misleading information and use of weak sources.”
Media Bias/Fact Check said the website’s article about the attack “appears to be false and defamatory.”
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
San Francisco police officials shared information with NBC News that directly contradicts the claims in the story Musk is linked to.
Police said only two people — Pelosi and the gunman — were home at the time of the incident, contradicting information released at a news conference Friday that suggested a third person may have answered the door or been in the home. which Santa Monica. The observer reported.
Police officials characterized the incident as a “violent outburst” and said Pelosi and the suspect did not know each other before the incident, contrary to false claims reported by the Santa Monica Observer.
Police added that chains were found at the scene, but did not specify how many or their intended purpose.
Robert Rueca, a public information officer for the San Francisco Police Department, said earlier Sunday that the incident report is not being released because the investigation is active.
The Santa Monica Observer has also published fake stories falsely reporting that Clinton died in the September 11, 2001 attacks and that Democrats had been using a body double ever since, and that Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, had been nominated to a non-existent position in the Interior Department during the Trump administration.
The website’s publisher, David Ganezer, ran unsuccessfully for the Santa Monica City Council in 2010 and 1988, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. He is a registered Republican, voting records show.
Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter was finalized late last week. It has said it will loosen rules on what kind of speech is allowed on the platform, prompting concerns that the changes could alienate users and advertisers.
DePape is accused of attacking Pelosi, 82, with a hammer after breaking into their California home early Friday. He was looking for the House speaker, who was in Washington, D.C., at the time, two sources said.
Police arrived after Pelosi called 911 when the attacker wasn’t looking.
Pelosi suffered a fractured skull and serious injuries to her right arm and hands, said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for the speaker. He underwent successful surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, Hammill said Friday.
Police said DePape will be charged with attempted murder, among other charges.
A federal law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said the criminal probe, which is being led by San Francisco police, is expected to result in state charges in San Francisco Superior Court as soon as Monday or Tuesday.
Federal investigators are conducting a parallel investigation to determine if he will also face any federal charges.
Officials said they are still working to determine a motive.
Andrew Blankstein CONTRIBUTORS.
