The outgoing president’s platform of choice suspended its account permanently on Friday, two days after riots by its supporters which invaded the Capitol for several hours. He then reacted … on Twitter, “via” the official account of the President of the United States.
Predictably, the ax fell. The US president no longer has access to his personal Twitter account. An event far from anecdotal: registered since 2009, he has been speaking on this social network for years and in particular since his campaign in 2016 and his election to the White House.
With 88 million people who follow him ( followers ), the bird network had become his privileged communication channel, recalls our correspondent in Washington, Anne Corpet . It was via this social network that Donald Trump sacked ministers, expressed his anger in capital letters, insulted, conveyed lies, conspiratorial theories, wrote sometimes enigmatic messages like the famous Covfefe, and announced that he was positive in coronavirus. All the politicians, all the journalists in Washington followed his account like milk on fire. An exhibition with his most famous messages even took place in the federal capital.
This Friday, January 8 in the afternoon, it is again via a tweet that he warned of his absence from the nomination of Joe Biden, his opponent and Democratic winner, on January 20. A fact never seen since 1869.
” After careful consideration of recent @realDonaldTrump tweets and the current context – including how they are interpreted (…) – we have suspended the account indefinitely due to the risk of further incitement to violence ” from the outgoing US President , the company said in a statement.
Indeed, Donald Trump is held responsible, even in his own camp and among his most loyal collaborators , for the assault and then the invasion of the Capitol on Wednesday, January 6 . During a meeting shortly before, he had notably called on his supporters to march towards the Capitol, and had notably launched: “ You will never take back our country by being weak. You have to show strength, ”he said.
Scenes of violence then caused the death of five people, including a police officer, Brian Sicknick. Among others, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi , but also Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, is asking for her resignation. “ I want him to resign. I want to see him go. He caused enough damage, ”said the Republican parliamentarian.
Thirteen people are being prosecuted by federal justice after the attack on the Capitol, but the arrests have only just begun, warns the FBI, which is distributing photos of dozens of wanted people everywhere, reports our correspondent , Eric de Salve. To find these insurgents, the investigators had no trouble, as some have already become celebrities after having praised on social networks and in the media during their intrusion into the Capitol, like Richard Barnett, who had proudly posted this famous photo of him with his feet resting on Nancy Pelosi’s desk. The 60-year-old man was arrested in Arkansas. An elected Republican from Virginia, who appeared live on Facebook, was also arrested.
Other insurgents have been fired by their employers, like this employee who had the bad idea of attacking the Capitol with his corporate bagde around his neck. In Washington, authorities also discovered weapons. A handgun, a semi-automatic rifle and a dozen molotov cocktails were found in the vehicle – parked near the Capitol – of a 70-year-old man from Alabama.
Donald Trump reacts
Thursday, January 7, Facebook and other services like Snapchat or Twitch also suspended the profile of the tenant of the White House for an indefinite period. Twitter had already deleted several messages from the head of state, instead of just masking them with warning notes.
Two hours later, Donald Trump reacted to this suspension. And always on Twitter. By using the @POTUS account, which is the official account of US presidents. He accuses the social network of silencing freedom of expression. “ Twitter has gone even further in muzzling free speech, and tonight Twitter workers coordinated with Democrats and the radical left to remove my account from their platform, to silence me – and YOU, the 75,000,000 great patriots who voted for me, ”Donald Trump wrote from the account of the American presidency.
This tweet was no longer visible almost immediately after being posted. But the White House also relayed this message in a statement. The suspension of his Twitter account was regularly demanded by Democrats who welcome the decision of the social network. The supporters of the president are obviously furious and speak of censorship, evoking a dictatorial climate.
Procedure for Impeachment
In Congress, Democrats seem determined to launch a second impeachment proceeding against Donald Trump, which would be unprecedented in American history. The impeachment project was therefore written in record time. He retains one charge against the President of the United States: incitement to insurgency.
This text could be presented to the House from Monday January 11, and put to the vote on Wednesday January 13. ” We are not doing this just for the next ten days, we are doing this for future generations ,” says Jackie Speier, elected Democrat of California. If we are not able to declare that incitement to insurgency by the President of the United States is a crime punishable by impeachment then I do not know what a crime punishable by impeachment is ”.
If the House of Representatives votes on impeachment on Wednesday, the text would then go to the Senate. If passed, impeachment would seriously compromise Donald Trump’s political future, but the process risks encroaching beyond January 20, the date of the inauguration, a prospect that hardly arouses the enthusiasm of the president-elect. Joe Biden.