Greene gets 12-hour Twitter suspension over COVID-19 misinformation

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was suspended from Twitter for 12 hours on Monday after she shared misleading claims about the coronavirus.

According to a Twitter spokesperson, Greene was suspended for two tweets she sent out on Monday in which she baselessly claimed COVID-19 is “not dangerous” for people who are not obese or under the age of 65.

In another tweet, the first-term congresswoman, who has a history of embracing conspiracy theories, claimed that “defeating obesity” would protect people against coronavirus complications and death. 

Obese individuals have been found to be at a higher risk of developing COVID-19 complications and being hospitalized.

She also argued against requiring military members to receive vaccines and against mask mandates.

Both tweets have been flagged by Twitter as being misleading and have been barred from being shared, liked or commented on.

“Twitter, Facebook and the rest of the Silicon Valley Cartel are working hand in hand with the White House to censor Americans,” Greene said when reached for comment by The Hill. “This is a Communist-style assault on free speech. I will not back down and I will continue [to] tell the truth to the American people.”

A Twitter spokesperson said Green’s account had violated the company’s policy that states, “You may not use Twitter’s services to share false or misleading information about COVID-19 which may lead to harm.”

“Content that is demonstrably false or misleading and may lead to significant risk of harm (such as increased exposure to the virus, or adverse effects on public health systems) may not be shared on Twitter,” the company’s policy states.

Though average daily COVID-19 cases briefly dipped below 10,000 last month, they have once again begun to rise in the U.S. as the more infectious delta variant continues to spread and vaccination rates stall. According to health experts, around half of new infections in the U.S. are believed to be caused by the delta variant.

Greene, one of former President Trump’s most devoted backers in the House, was stripped of her committee assignments earlier this year over her previously voiced support for violence against Democratic leaders.

Updated at 10:23 p.m.