HOUSTON, TX – Texas senator and 2016 GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz has gone to bat to defend one of his most outspoken critics – conspiracy theorist and right wing political pundit Alex Jones. After the founder of the InfoWars web site was banned from Facebook for 30 days on Thursday, Cruz posted to Twitter that the social media platform went too far.
“Who the hell made Facebook the arbiter of political speech? Free speech includes views you disagree with,” Cruz tweeted.
The conservative Texas senator also acknowledged in the tweet that Jones has harassed him over the years, and claims Cruz’s father murdered John F. Kennedy. Still, Cruz tweeted everyone is allowed their First Amendment rights.
Facebook on Thursday suspended Jones for violating its terms of service, according to Mashable. In a statement, Facebook said it prohibits “content that encourages physical harm, or attacks someone based on their religious affiliation or gender identity.” When that content is discovered, the social media platform removes it from the site, the statement said.
Facebook apparently found four such videos on pages maintained by InfoWars and Jones, Facebook reps said. Facebook officials also are reportedly considering a lifetime ban on Jones, according to media reports.
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The current ban means that Jones cannot post to his personal Facebook page, the InfoWars page and others where he is an administrator.
In addition to making claims that Cruz’s father murdered former President Kennedy, Jones, a longtime supporter of Donald Trump, has pushed monstrous political conspiracies. Among them, he has suggested the Sandy Hook massacre that left 20 school children and six teachers dead, was a hoax, and that the United States was behind the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The response to Cruz’s tweet defending Jones right to speech was interesting. One user called out Cruz, suggesting that it is Facebook’s duty to stop misinformation and threats of violence.
Photo: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a press conference about the shooting incident at Santa Fe High School May 18, 2018 in Santa Fe, Texas. At least 10 people were killed when a gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High school. Police arrested a student suspect and detained a second person. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)