A parody Twitter account of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) disappeared from the platform Friday.
The Twitter username @AOCpress, identified as an “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody),” describes itself as “Saying the quiet part out loud (parody),” complete with a blue check mark. It even received attention from acting Twitter CEO Elon Musk. Earlier this week, the New York representative called it a “fake account on here impersonating me” while “releasing false policy statements.”
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It had over 300,000 followers before it disappeared, growing by over 100,000 followers on the day Ocasio-Cortez tweeted about the account by way of warning. At the time, she blamed Musk for giving the account clout when he responded to a tweet from the account, but that day, it only grew by 9,000 followers.Â
FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility.
It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread.
I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 30, 2023
Michael Morrison, the original creator of the account, according to HuffPost, claimed that he passed off the account to an anonymous user. Morrison initially issued fake press statements as a joke from the account. Now, his Twitter account is also off the platform.
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The Washington Examiner’s request for comment was met with an automated email reply with a poop emoji. Ocasio-Cortez’s spokesperson also reported to the HuffPost that Twitter had not reached out to the office.
Meanwhile, Twitter permanently suspended all of the accounts belonging to student Jack Sweeney over a programmed series of Twitter bots that posted the private jet activity of tech moguls and Russian oligarchs alike, including Musk.
