Twitter recently added a “community note” to a tweet by conservative influencer and politics editor of Chronicles magazine Pedro Gonzalez, disputing his characterization of Breitbart News’ recent report as a “smear.”
Breitbart News recently published a report revealing that Pedro Gonzalez, a rising conservative influencer and the politics editor of Chronicles magazine, regularly sent racist and antisemitic messages in 2019 and 2020.
Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle wrote:
Pedro Gonzalez, a rising conservative influencer and politics editor of Chronicles magazine, regularly in 2019 and 2020 sent racist and antisemitic messages, Breitbart News can reveal after reviewing months’ worth of his private messages.
More recently, Gonzalez has become perhaps most well-known as one of the most active and strident pro-Florida Gov. Ron Desantis influencers on Twitter.
Gonzalez responded to the Breitbart News investigation after this article was published by claiming he is a target of Trump and that is why these messages became public. He did not address any of the content of the messages but did admit that they were “from a different, dumb season of my life.”
The DeSantis campaign–and DeSantis himself–remain silent at this moment. The pro-DeSantis Super PAC, Never Back Down, however, called Gonzalez’s statements as exposed in this article “inexcusable” and made clear that Never Back Down has no relationship with him.
Gonzalez responded to the reporting by referring to it as part of a “smear campaign” by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
(@emeriticus / Twitter)
Gonzalez wrote in a tweet:
I am blown away by the amount of support I’ve received from every corner amid this smear campaign by Trump’s camp. I cannot express in words how much it means that so many are standing with me—even those who have vehemently disagreed with me in the past.
The only reason my private messages—messages I exchanged with *Trump supporters* from a different, dumb season of my life—are being used against me is that I’ve become the most effective critic of Trump since jumping off the Trump train.
I’m going to address the smear at length, but I’m not going to let the Trump campaign silence me.
Thanks again so much to everyone who is defending me and offering grace.
Twitter has since added a “community note” face check to the tweet which reads:
Pedro Gonzalez’s anti-semitic private messages were published by Breitbart News. It is misleading to claim “smears” when the report is based off of his legitimate messages.
The tweet and community note can be seen below:
I am blown away by the amount of support I’ve received from every corner amid this smear campaign by Trump’s camp. I cannot express in words how much it means that so many are standing with me—even those who have vehemently disagreed with me in the past.
The only reason my…
— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) June 28, 2023
Read Breitbart News’ full report on Gonzalez here.