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WASHINGTON β Facebook on Monday removed a campaign video by Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens, while Twitter blocked it from being shared, because the ad showed the Republican brandishing a shotgun and declaring that he was hunting RINOs, or Republicans in Name Only.
In the video, Greitens identifies himself as a Navy SEAL and says he’s going RINO hunting. βThe RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice,β he whispers outside a home on a tree-lined street before a tactical unit breaks through a door and throws what appear to be flash-bang grenades inside.
The modern Republican Party is a party of extremists and political violence, plain and simple. This is proof.
Everyone should report this ad to @TwitterSafety. https://t.co/kd7iu9Ziyq
β The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 20, 2022
Greitens Resigned as Missouri Governor
Greitens, a former Missouri governor who resigned in disgrace in 2018, enters an empty living room through the smoke and says, βJoin the MAGA crew. Get a RINO hunting permit. There’s no bagging limit, no tagging limit and it doesn’t expire until we save our country.β
The video comes at a time of renewed focus on gun violence and violence in politics following fatal mass shootings and threats to government officials. Two weeks ago, a man carrying a gun, a knife, and zip ties was arrested near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughβs house after threatening to kill the justice.
On Sunday, Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans serving on the Congressional committee investigating the origins of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, said he recently received a letter at his home threatening βto execute me, as well as my wife and 5-month-old child.β
“Weβve never seen or had anything like that. It was sent from the local area,β Kinzinger, of Illinois, told ABC News, adding that heβs not worried about his personal safety but concerned about his family. Kinzinger, who is not running for reelection, is a moderate Republican, a swath of the GOP often disparaged as RINOs by hardline conservatives and supporters of Donald Trump.
Facebook’s Statement
Facebook said in a statement Monday that the video was removed “for violating our policies prohibiting violence and incitement.β Twitter said Greitens’ post violated its rules about abusive behavior but said it was leaving it up because it was in the βpublic’s interestβ for the tweet to be viewable. The company’s move prevented the post from being shared any further.
Greitens’ campaign did not address the action taken by the two social media companies.
βIf anyone doesnβt get the metaphor, they are either lying or dumb,β campaign manager Dylan Johnson said in a brief emailed statement.
The ad was released at a make-or-break time for Greitens’ Republican primary campaign to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt, as a crowded field of contenders vie for former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. The primary is Aug. 2,
It’s the latest dramatic move made by Greitens as he looks to jolt lackluster fundraising and move past graphic allegations of domestic abuse made in March in a sworn affidavit filed by his ex-wife in March in the former couple’s child custody case.
Backlash Could Help Greitens Raise Campaign Funds
It also follows a well-worn playbook that has helped other Republican candidates juice their standing: make a provocative statement or ad, wait for a backlash to develop, then cite the backlash while trying to raise money from grassroots donors online. In Greitens’ case, the actions taken by the social media giants could prove to be a further boon. Conservatives have railed against social media companies in recent years, arguing that they aggressively censor right-wing voices. (Such actions are often taken because the statements violate the company’s guidelines.)
Greitens stepped aside as Missouriβs governor in 2018 amid a scandal involving accusations of blackmail, bondage, and sexual assault. Sheena Greitens has alleged that, at that time, Eric Greitens was physically abusive to her and one of their sons, while demonstrating such βunstable and coercive behaviorβ that steps were taken to limit his access to firearms, court documents state.
Greitens has vehemently denied the allegations. But they’ve continued to dog him on the campaign trail.
Helen Wade, Sheena Greitensβ lawyer, told The Kansas City Star that she would βabsolutelyβ use the video in the coupleβs ongoing court case.
βThis is over the line,β Wade told the newspaper while indicating she would file court papers to make the video an exhibit in the case.
Other Senate Candidates Criticize Ad
Other candidates in the Senate race also condemned the video.
Republican state Sen. Dave Schatz called the video βcompletely irresponsible.β
βThatβs why Iβm running. Itβs time to restore sanity and reject this nonsense. Missouri deserves better,β Schatz said in a tweet.
Democrat Lucas Kunce, meanwhile, tweeted that βTerrorists, child abusers, and criminalsβ like Greitens βshouldnβt even be able to get a weapon.β
βHelp me beat this guy in November, and Iβll keep our families safe from criminals like him,β Kunce said.
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