Charlie Kirk: Trump supporter has Twitter account locked for spreading misinformation about mail-in voting

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. He claimed that he was in a “hostage situation” with the social media platform, and shared a notification he received from Twitter that told him one of his tweets had violated rules “against posting misleading information about voting.” Twitter also warned in the notification: “You may not post content providing false information about voting or registering to vote.” In his tweet that was found to have broken Twitter’s rules, Mr Kirk falsely claimed: “Pennsylvania has just rejected 372,000 mail-in ballots. Mr Kirk, who has 1.8 million followers on Twitter, claimed in his tweet that 372,000 mail-in-ballots, instead of the applications, were rejected, which led to the social media platform locking his account over the weekend. Recommended How a student in a diaper caused an eruption at Turning Point USA The 27-year-old is a supporter of Mr Trump, and claimed at the Republican National Convention in August that the president is “the bodyguard of western civilisation.” Mr Trump has also heaped praise on Mr Kirk, and previously described the evangelical Christian as a “great warrior”. Turning Point USA, which was founded in 2012, has proved controversial, and in 2018 the Anti-Defamation League reported that activists and people in leadership positions at the organisation “have made multiple racist or bigoted comments.” Election officials and advocacy groups have been urging US residents to vote early this year in-person or via mail-in voting, because of fears of long queues forming on 3 November due to coronavirus measures.