Senate and House Republicans' campaign arms announced on Thursday they will be suspending "all spending with Twitter until further notice" in response to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R., Ky.) campaign Twitter account, Team Mitch, being locked.
McConnell's account was suspended on Wednesday after sharing a video of protesters making violent threats aimed at McConnell outside his Kentucky home.
Liberal gun control protesters gathered on a sidewalk near McConnell's Louisville home Sunday night in response to two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that weekend. During their protest, approximately two dozen demonstrators shouted "No Trump, no KKK, no Fascist USA!" while others called him "Murder Turtle."
McConnell's campaign Twitter account shared a video in which a male protester can be heard saying "hopefully" someone has a "voodoo doll" to use against McConnell. A female protester appeared to agree and added, "Just stab the motherf—ker in the heart, please."
The National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee both announced on Thursday they will be pulling all spending on the social media site until it unlocks McConnell's account.
"The NRCC stands with @Team_Mitch and the @NRSC. We are pulling all @Twitter spending until this is corrected and they stop silencing conservatives," the NRCC tweeted.
The NRCC stands with @Team_Mitch and the @NRSC. We are pulling all @Twitter spending until this is corrected and they stop silencing conservatives. https://t.co/N8j6m7kcDk
— NRCC (@NRCC) August 8, 2019
"Twitter's hostile actions toward Leader McConnell's campaign are outrageous, and we will not tolerate it," said Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the NRSC. "The NRSC will suspend all spending with Twitter until further notice. We will not spend our resources on a platform that silences conservatives."
"A Twitter spokesperson confirmed the account was temporarily locked for violating the company’s "violent threats policy," Politico reported. "McConnell’s campaign manager, Kevin Golden, said the campaign unsuccessfully appealed the decision and accused Twitter of hypocrisy."
The new halt in spending on Twitter is an escalation from Republicans, who have long complained the social media company of harboring a bias against conservatives. POLITICO reported Wednesday that the White House is circulating drafts of a proposed executive order that would address allegations of anti-conservative bias by social media companies.
The NRSC sent out a fundraising email on Thursday urging supporters to "push back" against Twitter for its decision to lock McConnell's account. Hunt said the committee has spent low five-figures on Twitter during the 2020 election cycle and plans to fundraise off its decision to halt spending.
"Silicon Valley is trying to silence conservatives," the fundraising email said.