Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein was taken to social media Thursday for sharing material about Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) that was allegedly obtained in the Iranian hack of former President Trump's campaign. He was suspended from Platform X.
Mr. Krippenstein published on his Substack a 271-page report compiled by the Trump campaign to vet Mr. Vance, the Republican running mate.
An X spokesperson said in a statement that the journalist's account was suspended for posting “unedited personal information” about Vance.
“Ken Klippenstein has been temporarily suspended for violating our company's rules regarding posting large portions of unredacted personal information, specifically Sen. Vance's address and social security number,” the spokesperson said. the person in charge said.
Last month, the Trump campaign revealed that it had been hacked and internal documents had been leaked. The FBI later acknowledged that Iran was behind the leak and that it was trying to disrupt the campaigns of both presidential candidates.
This document was shared with various media outlets, but they chose not to publish the stolen material.
The FBI revealed last week that Iran also tried to share materials with the Biden campaign. However, the Harris campaign claimed that staffers ignored what appeared to be a phishing email sent to her personal email from Iran.
Explaining his decision to release the stolen materials on his Substack, Krippenstein argued that there is “strong public interest heading into election season.”
“[S]”Since June, the press has ignored this document (and others), refusing to publish it for fear of contradicting the government's campaign against 'foreign influence,'” he wrote.
“I don't believe that the news media, as an arm of government, is in the business of combating foreign influence,” he later added. “Nor should we be gatekeepers to what the public needs to know.”
