New York Post Twitter blames "rogue employee" for wild Twitter rampage
New York, New York - The New York Post Twitter account shared a bunch of derogatory headlines on Thursday morning that the newspaper claims were posted by a rogue employee.
A handful of tweets that featured shocking captions and fake links went up on Thursday.
The posts included derogatory, violent, and racist lines about New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and NYC Mayor Eric Adams.
"Gov. Abbott: I Will Start Ordering Border Patrol to Start Slaughtering Illegals", read one.
Another said: "Rufo: We Must Destroy and Imprison Union Teachers."
The Post immediately took down the tweets and initially claimed it had been hacked, adding: "we are currently investigating the cause."
In a statement to Variety, a rep for the Post gave an update, telling the outlet, "The New York Post's investigation indicates that the unauthorized conduct was committed by an employee, and the employee has been terminated. This morning, we immediately removed the vile and reprehensible content from our website and social media accounts."
The news outlet has over 2.8 million followers on the platform and is one of the most viewed news websites.
Kathy Hochul and others respond to the toxic tweets
Some Twitter users couldn't help but find the hack funny, arguing it was satirical in nature to the usual right-wing clickbait titles the tabloid is well known for.
"Was the rogue employee satirizing the Post's editorial line, or pushing it to its logical limit?," asked Nicholas Dawes, executive director of The City NY. "And is there a difference?"
A spokesperson for New York state governor Kathy Hochul seemed to agree, per CNBC: "The New York Post has long fostered an ugly, toxic conversation on their front pages and social accounts, but these posts are more disgusting and vile than usual."
"The New York Post needs to immediately explain how this reprehensible content was made public," the statement added. "While the Post has made its preferences very clear in the New York Governor's race, there is no room for this violent, sexist rhetoric in our politics. We demand answers."
The New York Post hasn't revealed the name of the employee, the possible motive, or if the company plans to take any legal action over the crime.
Cover photo: The New york Post