Twitter suspended Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) account after the lawmaker shared an article critical of President Joe Biden’s response to the Russia-Ukraine war. David Harsanyi, a senior editor with the American Conservative online magazine, The Federalist, authored the article.

According to The Federalist report, the article Lee shared condemns the false narrative presented by supporters of the administration’s approach to the war in Ukraine as either pro-Volodymyr Zelensky or pro-Vladimir Putin.

Lee shared an excerpt of Harsanyi’s article on his Twitter account, and a suspension followed shortly after. 

“It’s not exactly a sign of a healthy democratic discourse that it’s virtually impossible to ask a critical question about the United States’ role in the Ukraine-Russia conflict without being smeared as a Putin apologist or an ‘isolationist,” the excerpt read.

https://twitter.com/ssharmaUS/status/1630999131467513876?s=20

It remains unclear why Twitter took such action against Lee’s account, with the Republican lawmaker noting that Twitter has not explained why they suspended him.

https://twitter.com/BasedMikeLee/status/1631014946208206855?s=20

Political censorship has remained an issue on Twitter, especially after the famous suspension of former president Donald Trump’s account. While ascribing hostility to the former social media management, the new owner and CEO Elon Musk promised a fresh breath of life.

After the $44 billion acquisition, Musk vowed to restore free speech across Twitter. Lee’s suspension proves that only a little has changed under the new leadership, aside from different verification levels and several firings. 

Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), was also suspended from Twitter for sharing photos of a hunting expedition. 

“You may not include graphic violence or adult content in your profile photo or profile header image. We consider graphic violence to be any form of gory media related to death, serious injury, violence, or surgical procedures,” the warning read.

https://twitter.com/BasedMikeLee/status/1622955572214763522?s=20

Lee had commented on the situation in February, not knowing he would soon be caught in the same web.