Twitter files show staffers pushing ban on Trump based on ‘historical context’

Prior to banning then-President Donald Trump from Twitter following the Capitol riot in January 2021, internal document show staffers at the company argued that ‘historical context’ and ‘current climate’ should factor into the decision. 

Journalist Matt Taibbi shared the claims in a new Twitter thread on Friday night, one week after sharing the first tranche of so-called ‘Twitter Files’ turned over by the company’s new owner Elon Musk.

‘The world knows much of the story of what happened between riots at the Capitol on January 6th, and the removal of President Donald Trump from Twitter on January 8th,’ Taibbi wrote.

‘We’ll show you what hasn’t been revealed: the erosion of standards within the company in months before J6, decisions by high-ranking executives to violate their own policies, and more, against the backdrop of ongoing, documented interaction with federal agencies,’ he added.

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One screenshot showed a Twitter staffer acknowledging the historic nature of Trump’s ban

Staffers at Twitter argued that ‘historical context’ and ‘current climate’ should factor into the decision to suspend Trump’s account

Taibbi said that his posts on Friday would cover the period between the 2020 election and January 6, to be followed by additional publications of internal Twitter documents by Michael Shellenberger on Saturday and Bari Weiss on Sunday. 

Shellenberger is an author who focuses on contrarian views on climate change, and Weiss is an independent journalist who runs the newsletter Common Sense, which she recently rebranded as The Free Press.

Developing story, more to follow.