Rep. Flores' office defends policy of blocking some objecting online commenters
U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan, has blocked certain constituents from interacting with his social media accounts, an action not uncommon among politicians, though possibly at odds with the First Amendment amid a national discussion regarding free speech.
More than a dozen constituents throughout the 17th Congressional District in Waco, Austin and College Station told the Tribune-Herald they were blocked from accessing Flores’ Facebook or Twitter accounts which indicate he is a member of Congress.
Bill Gaventa, a Woodway pastor, said he was blocked from Flores’ Facebook page after he wrote a Tribune-Herald op-ed criticizing Flores for what Gaventa views as inaccessibility to his approximately 760,000 constituents.
“It’s frustrating and, I think, ultimately defeating for him,” Gaventa said.
Flores, a four-term congressman, is not the only elected official accused of silencing critics on social media. President Donald Trump, a frequent Twitter user, has blocked dozens of people, according to New York Magazine. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan blocked 450 people from his Facebook page, the Washington Post reported in early 2017. And Phyllis J. Randall, chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in Virginia, was sued for temporarily blocking a constituent from her Facebook page.
Read more: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/politics/flores-office-defends-policy-of-blocking-some-objecting-online-commenters/article_5b4ff081-df53-56c1-93e0-d83c3d45e420.html
