Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) announced Tuesday that his Twitter account suspension was lifted by the social media giant’s owner, Elon Musk, after the congressman had violated a policy regarding sensitive images.
Daines received a notification Monday night that his account was locked for displaying “graphic violence,” he said, after he had changed his profile photo to him and his wife grinning while he lifted the bloodied head of an antelope they had killed. Musk reached out to him and “acted quickly” to reinstate his account, Daines said in a statement.
Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla, has fashioned himself as a First Amendment supporter, restoring accounts banned for violent threats, harassment and misinformation en masse shortly after his takeover of Twitter as CEO while banning journalists, including Washington Post technology reporter Drew Harwell.
“The initial ban over the profile photo of my wife and me after a successful Montana antelope hunt was disappointing given the fact that it is no different than photos Montanans share on social media every day,” Daines said. “It’s our Montana way of life and we are proud of it. I am glad Elon Musk recognizes this.”
When Twitter suspended Daines’s account, it linked to its policy that bans posts “that depicts excessively graphic or gruesome content related to death” or “animal torture or killing.” After the suspension, conservatives on Twitter decried the decision, calling it censorship and rallying around the hashtag #FreeSteveDaines. In response to the news, Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Mike Rounds (S.D.) and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa), posted their own hunting photos featuring dead animals.
Unlike other CEOs of social media companies, Musk has not steered clear of politics but rather has appealed to Republicans, opting to reverse a ban on former president Donald Trump and encouraging independents to vote Republican.
It is not clear why Twitter reversed its stance on Daines. After Musk took over the company, Twitter gutted its press team. Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.
Responding to others on Twitter, Musk said he would amend the policy against bloody images.
“The intent is to avoid people being forced to see gruesome profile pics,” Musk tweeted.