PA State Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-10)
By Daveen Rae Kurutz, Beaver County Times
A Republican state representative is encouraging his constituents to continue to support President Donald Trump in the wake of his Twitter ban.
State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-10, New Beaver, tweeted his disdain for the social media platform’s ban of the president Friday evening, sharing screenshots of now-deleted tweets from Trump’s official government account.
Bernstine asked his followers to share the president’s tweets, which claimed Twitter was attacking free speech and collaborating with the “Democrats and the radical Left” to remove him from the platform.
Twitter permanently suspended Trump’s personal account early Friday evening for what it called safety concerns. Trump then took to the @POTUS account, to which access is passed from president to president, to rail against Twitter’s actions. The social media platform then deleted those four tweets.
President Trump permanently banned from Twitter over risk he could incite violence
Shortly after, Bernstine, who defended Trump on his campaign Facebook page Wednesday after an attack on the U.S. Capitol, shared a screenshot of the tweets, encouraging his followers to help get the president’s message out.
The representative said he believes what happened at the Capitol was an “absolute disgrace,” adding the violence was the work of domestic terrorists.
“There’s no reason that should ever happen in the United States,” he said in a video. “That being said, there are those that blame the president specifically, and what I know is, very simply, that individuals are held accountable for their actions.
Bernstine said those who commit violence should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Many Republicans have distanced themselves from Trump since Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol. Locally, Bernstine was the only legislator to make social media posts or comments supporting the idea that Trump did not play a role in Wednesday’s events.
“This is a very trying time in our country right now, and I find it disgusting that some politicians from both parties are using this as an opportunity to score political points,” Bernstine told The Times on Friday night. “This is about personal responsibility and holding lawbreakers accountable.”
If you liked this post you’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Try it free for an entire month.
