Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon’s Twitter account was suspended Thursday after allegedly calling for the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci’s head “on pikes” on his podcast.
His podcast Twitter account @WarRoomPandemic was suspended after the statement went live.
In an email sent to The Hill, Twitter said Bannon’s account was suspended for violating “our policy on the glorification of violence.”
Twitter added that it has policies in place to address explicit threats of violence and other forms of online abuse or harassment and hateful conduct.
Bannon’s allegedly violent comments on his “War Room” YouTube podcast Thursday come as the nation has yet to see a decided victor in the presidential race against President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
His words about Fauci came after he suggested firing the nation’s leading epidemiologist on the White House coronavirus task force, as well as calls to fire FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“Second term kicks off with firing Wray, firing Fauci, no, I actually want to go a step farther, but the president is a kind-hearted man and a good man,” said Bannon.
He added, “I’d actually like to go back to the old times of Tudor England. I’d put their heads on pikes, right, I’d put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats, you either get with the program or you’re gone.”
His comments sparked outrage from users on social media, with some calling to attention the fact that Bannon is currently out on bail after being indicted for alleged fundraising fraud.
YouTube told The Hill Bannon’s video was removed and the account received a strike, noting the company has a three-strike policy before an account is terminated.
“We’ve removed this video for violating our policy against inciting violence. We will continue to be vigilant as we enforce our policies in the post-election period,” said Alex Joseph, a YouTube spokesperson.
Joseph added that since Bannon’s channel received a strike, his account could be restricted from uploading videos for at least a week.
The incident comes as Kathy Griffin reposted an infamous photo of her carrying a bloody decapitated caricatured head of Trump on Thursday, which she previously shared in 2017.
The comedian received backlash for years after she originally posted the controversial photo, costing her multiple career opportunities and sparking death threats against her.
Updated: 11:22 p.m.