Facebook Takes Down GOP Senate Candidate Greitens’ Ad About ‘Hunting’ RINOs

Topline

Facebook on Monday removed an advertisement from Missouri GOP Senate Candidate Eric Greitens in which he called for people to go “RINO hunting,” a phrase short for “Republicans In Name Only,” claiming the video violated its policies barring violence and incitement, while Twitter left the video up with a warning label.

Key Facts

In the video, Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, appears with a gun alongside men in combat gear and says “we’re goin’ RINO hunting,” a pejorative term used by Republicans to accuse other GOP members of lacking loyalty to the conservative party.

The men in combat gear then bust open the door of a home and point their guns as Greitens says, “Join the MAGA crew—Get a Rino hunting permit.”

Shortly after the video was posted, Facebook took it down, while Youtube and Twitter kept the ad up, with Twitter saying it violated its rules about “abusive behavior,” but “determined it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”

The video sparked outrage among several Democratic politicians, including Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) who called the video “sociopathic.”

Greitens’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes, but in another post, he accused Facebook of censoring his ad “calling out the weak RINOs” and said he would take on “Big Tech” once he “get[s] to the US Senate.”

Tangent

Monday was not the first time Greitens has sparked controversy. He resigned as governor of Missouri in 2018 after allegations surfaced he had a sexual affair with his hairdresser who accused Greitens of assaulting her and taking a nude photograph of her as blackmail to prevent her from going public with news of their affair. Greitens’ ex-wife, Sheena, has also accused him of physically abusing her and one of their children, claiming Greitens’ access to firearms was restricted because of his behavior. Greitens has denied the allegations.

Key Background

Several Republicans, including GOP Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo), have urged Greitens—who is running for retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt’s seat—to quit the Senate race amid the allegations of abuse, assault and blackmail. Greitens, a fierce defender of former President Donald Trump, is seeking an endorsement from the former president, which he has yet to receive. Greitens has led the polls for several months among a field of several other GOP Senate candidates. His ad campaign comes after a series of mass shootings across the United States that left two teachers and 19 students dead at an elementary school in Texas and 10 Black people dead in what authorities are investigating as a racially motivated shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.

Further Reading

Eric Greitens Tests the Limits of the Trump Scandal-Survival Playbook (New York Times)

​​Greitens slammed for ‘RINO hunting’ campaign ad (Washington Post)