ELON Musk has shared a baseless far-right conspiracy theory on Twitter about the attack suffered by Paul Pelosi just days after buying the social media platform.
The tech billionaire completed his purchase of the platform on Thursday amid promises that he would champion free speech and reduce content moderation.
And in the wake of the husband of American politician Nancy Pelosi being attacked with a hammer in his home by an intruder, Musk replied to a tweet from Hillary Clinton raising concerns over inflammatory political discourse with a far-right conspiracy theory.
On Saturday, Clinton criticised members of the Republican Party for disseminating “hate and deranged conspiracy theories” after it was revealed that Paul Pelosi’s alleged attacker had been spreading far-right conspiracies online in the lead-up to the attack.
The former secretary of state tweeted: “The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories. It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result.
“As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and the actions that follow.”
The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories. It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result. As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and the actions that follow.https://t.co/MQor4NDFeE
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 29, 2022
Replying to Clinton on Sunday, Musk suggested to his 112 million followers that the attack that left the 82-year-old in hospital was not what it seemed.
He wrote: “There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye.”
Musk had no further explanation of his statement, except for a link to an article that claimed, without evidence, that Paul Pelosi had been drunk and met his alleged attacker in a gay bar.
The Twitter boss deleted his reply hours later.
The article in his reply referred to one of a number of far-right conspiracies that were spread online in the wake of the attack which left Paul Pelosi requiring surgery for a fractured skull.
Nancy Pelosi was not home at the time of the attack as she was in Washington DC.
Chief of the San Francisco Police William Scott described the incident as “intentional” and “not a random act”.
