Sandy MaloneEl Paso, TX – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan wasted no time in calling out Twitter after the social media platform shut down his account on Wednesday over a tweet that praised the border wall.
“@CBP & @USACEHQ continue to build new wall every day,” Commissioner Morgan tweeted along with a video of the new wall.
“Every mile helps us stop gang members, sexual predators, and drugs from entering our country. It’s a fact. Walls work,” the tweet said.
Shortly after he made the post, the border patrol boss got a notification that said his account had been “locked for violating the Twitter rules” regarding “hateful conduct,” the Daily Mail reported.
The violation notice informed the border protection commissioner that his tweet was “threatening” to minorities.
Commissioner Morgan told reporters at a press conference marking the completion of 400 miles of wall along the U.S. – Mexico border on Oct. 30 that he had been tweeting to compliment the workers who built the wall when Twitter silenced him, Politico reported.
“My tweet intended to educate the American people that borders matter, and the great things done by the men and women of CBP and DHS as a whole. My tweet was intended to emphasize that border security is national security,” he said.
Morgan reminded reporters that “the tweet was similar to hundreds and hundreds of tweets that I’ve sent over the past couple of years.”
“But none of you today got to see that tweet,” the commissioner said. “Americans across this great country didn’t get to see that tweet or the very critical information that was contained in that tweet because Twitter, they removed that tweet and they locked my account yesterday.”
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg both faced a Senate committee investigating whether the way the platforms have manipulated news surrounding the upcoming Presidential election.
Twitter reversed its decision and reinstated the account later in the day.
“We took enforcement action on the tweet… but the decision was reversed following an appeal by the account owner and further evaluation from our team,” a Twitter spokesperson told FOX News.
But the man charged with getting President Donald Trump’s promised border wall completed wasn’t buying it.
“With all due respect Twitter, your locking my account doesn’t pass the BS test,” Morgan said, according to Politico.
.@Twitter LOCKED my account for informing the American people about the WALL
Twitter DENIED my appeal of their BIASED CENSORSHIP
The American People RESPONDED and stood up for FREE SPEECH
Twitter states that they made an ERROR and restores access
This. Must. Stop. pic.twitter.com/XswC4VnYLO
— CBP Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) October 30, 2020
“They didn’t lock me out, they locked you out,” he said at the press conference in El Paso. “They imposed their own ideology, their own belief system to justify keeping the truth from the American people because it didn’t fit their very obvious and transparent agenda.”
On Friday morning, Commissioner Morgan re-posted the video of the border wall.
The border wall system is Exhibit A in showing that the Trump Administration is serious about border security. This wall saves American lives. Every single bit of concrete and steel that goes into the ground stops dangerous people and deadly drugs from coming into this country. pic.twitter.com/r67Mitrsyl
— CBP Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) October 30, 2020
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Ken Cuccinelli called out the hypocrisy of the social media giants in a scathing tweet.
(1/2) While @jack was ‘explaining’ Twitter #censorship to the Senate, Twitter was blocking @CBPMarkMorgan! Why? B/c he posted THE TRUTH, that @CBP’s Wall helps stop gang members, murderers, sex predators & drugs from getting into America. The other pics prove @CBPMarkMorgan right pic.twitter.com/5ndjKP1LEK
— Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli (@HomelandKen) October 29, 2020
Earlier in the week, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blasted the Twitter boss for the platform locking the New York Post’s account and blocking dissemination of the news story about the content of Hunter Biden’s laptop.
“Mr. Dorsey, who the hell elected you?” Ted Cruz says.
“We realize we need to earn trust more. We realize more accountability is needed," Jack Dorsey responds.
Twitter shares taking a hit after that round of questioning 📉https://t.co/YVXYzGhOZo pic.twitter.com/4TLDsgHZ8U
— Bloomberg Technology (@technology) October 28, 2020
“Mr. Dorsey, who the hell elected you and put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report and what the American people are allowed to hear?” Cruz asked during the virtual hearing. “And why do you persist in behaving as a Democratic Super PAC, silencing views to the contrary of your political beliefs?”
“We’re not doing that. And that’s why I opened this hearing with calls for transparency,” Dorsey replied.
Holly Matkin
