Elon Musk‘s platform, X, has temporarily suspended independent journalist Ken Klippenstein after he shared a dossier on Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. The document, which was reportedly obtained through a hack by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Trump campaign, was published on Klippenstein’s Substack on Thursday.
The 271-page dossier, compiled by the Trump campaign, contained sensitive personal information about Vance, including private phone numbers, family details and most of his Social Security number. X has restricted users from linking to Klippenstein’s report.
Mediaite reports:
Back in February, the Trump campaign compiled a research dossier on Vance in order to vet the Ohio senator as a potential running mate for Donald Trump. The 271-page document included a section about “potential vulnerabilities,” which included his past criticism of the former president.
Soon after Trump picked Vance as his vice presidential nominee, an individual known as “Robert” sent the document to a reporter from Politico. In August, The Trump campaign revealed it had been hacked by Iranian intelligence.
Several other outlets were sent the vetting documents, but all refused to print its contents — on the grounds of both the unclear provenance of the information as well as its apparent lack of newsworthiness. Some criticized those outlets for their refusal to make the documents public.
Critics argue that the temporary suspension doesn’t go far enough. Commentator Ian Miles Cheong posted on X, “Publishing information from a foreign adversary that was obtained through criminal means for the sake of interfering in the election should result in [Klippenstein] getting banned.”
“The dossier has been offered to me and I’ve decided to publish it because it’s of keen public interest in an election season,” Klippenstein wrote. “It’s a 271-page research paper the Trump campaign prepared to vet now vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. As far as I can tell, it hasn’t been altered, but even if it was, its contents are publicly verifiable. I’ll let it speak for itself.”
An X spokesperson confirmed the suspension to the Daily Beast, citing Klippenstein’s violation of rules on posting unredacted private information, including Vance’s addresses and portions of his Social Security number.
When asked about Iran’s hack of the Trump campaign, communication director Steven Cheung said, “The terror regime in Iran loves the weakness and stupidity of Kamala Harris and is terrified of the strength and resolve of President Donald J. Trump.”
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