Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key witness in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, issued a warning to Elon Musk on Sunday after the arrest in France of Telegram messaging app CEO Pavel Durov.
An arrest warrant was issued for Durov in Paris on Saturday night after police conducted a preliminary investigation into allegations that he had not adequately restricted criminal activity on Telegram, according to TF1 and BFM television.
With experts and industry leaders raising warnings about the impact his arrest would have on freedom of speech internationally, Vindman supported the move, appearing on X to warn of a “growing appetite for accountability” from the company’s CEO and suggesting Musk could be next.
RFK Jr., Elon Musk and others react to Telegram CEO arrest in France: ‘A red line has been crossed’
“Durov is a French citizen and his arrest for violating French law has far-reaching implications for other social media platforms, including Twitter,” Vindman wrote. “There is growing intolerance for the spread of disinformation and malign influence, and a growing desire for accountability. Musk should be nervous.”
Musk called for Durov’s arrest in multiple X posts over the weekend, and shared the hashtag “#FreePavel” on social media.
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“These are dangerous times,” Musk wrote in a post referring to government censorship.
With over 900 million users, Telegram is a messaging app comparable to WhatsApp, but it also allows large groups of people to communicate across different channels, according to The New York Times.
The New York Times also reported that the app “has come under scrutiny by law enforcement agencies around the world because it is used by terrorist organizations, drug traffickers, arms dealers and far-right extremist groups to communicate, recruit and organize.”
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Prominent politicians and business leaders have supported Durov and accused the French government of violating freedom of speech by arresting him.
“The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent,” RFK Jr. wrote to X.
“France is threatening Rumble and has now crossed a red line by arresting Telegram CEO Pavel Durov for reportedly failing to censor speech,” Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovsky said in a statement.
Conservative commentator Ian Miles Chong claimed the arrests were part of a witch hunt.
“This is an attempt to silence dissent and control information. They are trying to make the internet another weapon in their propaganda machine. We are seeing freedom of speech being attacked before our eyes,” he posted.
Vindman’s warning to Musk appeared to provoke a significant backlash, as he further lashed out in a follow-up post, slamming the “free speech freak.”
“Going forward, enforcement is likely to be stepped up,” he wrote, adding that those concerned about Durov’s arrest should focus on “the fact that the presidential candidate is a sexual predator.”
Vindman and his twin brother, Eugene Vindman, who served on the National Security Council during the Trump administration, garnered national attention during Trump’s first impeachment in 2020 when they blew the whistle on a call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Biden’s eldest son Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine. Alexander later testified against the former president and retired from the military.
Fox News’ Hannah Panrec and Fox Business’ Jasmine Bair contributed to this report.
Original article source: Vindman says Musk should be “nervous” after Telegram CEO arrest: “He’s a weirdo who takes freedom of speech to the absolute extreme”