A Republican running for governor of Minnesota was removed from TikTok after complaints of “community violations” were made in his viral posts about the pandemic.
The scenery: Scott Jensen, a former senator whose criticism of the government’s COVID-19 response drew national attention, had amassed more than 280,000 followers since joining the platform last month. He said his posts were viewed a hundred thousand times a day.
- Remarkable: Jensen, who appeared to be one of the most-visited politicians in the nation on TikTok, told Axios he hoped the platform would help him connect with millennials.
What he says: In a video posted to Twitter late Thursday, Jensen said posts criticizing a controversial “60-minute” story about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis were discontinued before saying “without explanation permanently banned “.
- He told Axios that several previous spots had been marked but that he had appealed these decisions.
- “It’s really quite confusing but it sure feels like being canceled, “he said on his video.
The other side: A TikTok spokesperson confirmed the account was removed and said Jensen’s posts violated community guidelines on misinformation related to COVID-19.
Between the lines: The GP received numerous online follow-ups – and backlash – for his previous statements about COVID-19, including comments alleging possible inflated fatalities.
- A complaint against his medical license based on these comments was investigated and dismissed by state regulators last year.
- Jensen said he had written nothing about COVID-19 or vaccines in the past 24 hours and did not remember if posts related to the pandemic were among those that sparked allegations of violations in the past.
This coverage is part of Axios Twin Cities, a newsletter designed to help readers get smarter and faster about the most important news in their own garden.
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