The press team for Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) had their access to Mailchimp suspended after linking to a post on Truth Social by Donald Trump, in which the former president backed the Ohio senator’s new legislation on railway safety.
Mailchimp, one of the most widely-used email marketing platforms, took more than a day to restore access to Sen. Vance’s team, blaming the suspension on an error caused by Omnivore, the company’s automatic “abuse prevention” system.
You can’t make this up: Mailchimp suspended my press team’s account after we announced President Trump’s support for the Railway Safety Act. But big tech censorship won’t stop us from fighting for the people of East Palestine.
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) May 8, 2023
“Mailchimp suspended my press team’s account after we announced President Trump’s support for the Railway Safety Act,” tweeted Sen. Vance. “But big tech censorship won’t stop us from fighting for the people of East Palestine.”
Mailchimp would not disclose what it was in the press release that caused Omnivore to flag it. In emails seen by Breitbart News, the tech company said the system identified “possibility of harmful information being sent through our service.”
The company declined to explain what the reason was for the ban, and said “specific keywords and content” flagged by Omnivore are constantly changing. In a statement to Breitbart News, the company said: “Senator Vance’s account was flagged by an automated system, but upon human review in line with our terms of service, the account was found to be in good standing and immediately reinstated with all features available. We have been in contact with Senator Vance’s office and are reviewing what happened.”
This is not a first for Mailchimp. The list of conservatives and populists censored by the tech company, in error or otherwise, includes The Babylon Bee, Steve Bannon, the Northern Virginia Tea Party, and the Virginia Citizen’s Defense League, a nonprofit promoting the Second Amendment.
Vance’s press release contained a link to Donald Trump’s endorsement of Sen. Vance’s Railway Safety Act, which the Ohio senator introduced in response to the East Palestine railway disaster.
“Crooked Joe Biden has still not visited the incredible Patriots of East Palestine, and Mayor Pete couldn’t get out of there fast enough,” wrote Trump in his post.
“But that’s ok — our movement will be their voice, and we will NEVER forget them. JD Vance has been working hard in the Senate to make sure nothing like this EVER happens again, and that’s why it’s so important for Congress to pass his Railway Safety Act. JD’s terrific bill has my Complete and Total Endorsement!!!”
In the censored press release, Sen. Vance welcomed the former president’s support.
“No one has done more to draw attention to the plight of East Palestine than President Trump, and with his support, no one has done more to advance the passage of commonsense railway safety legislation,” said Sen. Vance.
Update — After publication, a Mailchimp spokesperson sent the following statement to Breitbart News: “Senator Vance’s account was flagged by an automated system, but upon human review in line with our terms of service, the account was found to be in good standing and immediately reinstated with all features available. We have been in contact with Senator Vance’s office and are reviewing what happened.”
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.