Retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman on Sunday called Elon Musk a “purveyor of hate and division” after the new Twitter owner called him “both puppet & puppeteer” in an apparent spamming campaign critical of Musk.
Musk called out Vindman after a Twitter user noted he had shared the same message as dozens of other accounts.
The copy-pasted message shared by Vindman and others said: “Kinda weird that @elonmusk gets to decide how like a half-billion people communicate. Way too much power for one erratic individual to wield, don’t you think?”
Musk knocked Vindman in a reply to the post, calling those who shared it “bots in human form.”
“Vindman is both puppet & puppeteer. Question is who pulls his strings … ?” Musk asked Sunday.
“I’ll put my reputation up against yours any day,” Vindman wrote in response to Musk on Sunday.
“I’ve spent my entire adult life in service to my country. Upheld my oath to protect & defend this nation at great personal cost. You’ve demonstrated yourself to be a purveyor of hate and division. Let history be the judge,” Vindman wrote.
Vindman also attacked Musk’s business credentials in the Twitter thread. .
“Tesla stock is plummeting, Twitter is on the verge of insolvency, SpaceX succeeded in spite of you. You have a chance to salvage your legacy,” he wrote.
Vindman’s rebuke of Musk is the latest controversy about Musk’s management of Twitter since he acquired the platform late last month.
Racist and antisemitic messages reportedly surged on the social media app after Musk’s takeover, and his move to slash staff in mass layoffs stoked concerns that content moderation would be compromised.
Vindman has repeatedly drawn attention to hate, antisemitism and racism on the site since Musk made himself the platform’s chief moderator.
“We are experiencing a rise in hate, while many look the other way or seek to profit from it. I refuse to allow this to be the norm and a part of my child’s future. I will fight against hate and extremism and for decency and acceptance,” Vindman said in another Twitter post Sunday.