Essential Politics: When will Elon Musk actually step down from Twitter?

WASHINGTON —  Elon Musk runs Twitter like former President Trump ran the White House.

Like Trump’s White House, Twitter is led by flamboyant billionaire who oversees a chaotic workplace, attracts enormous amounts of media attention, and demands loyalty but refuses to reciprocate.

In the last few weeks, Musk has suspended journalists from the platform while allowing people who tweet hate speech and spread lies and misinformation back on the platform. The social network’s users are wary of which way the company will turn next. The platform is especially popular among political figures, government agencies, journalists and activists, making its decline notable. Is this the end of Twitter?

Hello, friends, I’m Erin B. Logan. I’m a national political reporter with the Los Angeles Times. This week, we are going to discuss Musk and Twitter.

When will this saga end?

Musk, an avid Twitter user who said he wanted to expand “free speech” on the platform, purchased the company in October for $44 billion. Before the deal closed, Musk’s critics speculated that his efforts to restore free speech on Twitter would mostly amount to undoing efforts to limit hate speech and allowing Trump to rejoin the platform.

Instead, Musk has laid off thousands of employees, abruptly changed long-standing policies, tussled with critics, and banned users for unclear reasons.

The billionaire enables and elevates right-wing voices even as he bans left-wing ones. And he has pushed conspiracy theories (including ones about Paul Pelosi and Anthony Fauci).

Last week, Musk attracted another wave of coverage by abruptly suspending a bevy of national journalists from the platform. Some of the journalists in question had shared information regarding the location of Musk’s private jet, Times writer Jaimie Ding reported.

Musk also suspended Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz after she asked her followers to keep in touch on other platforms, including Tumblr, Post and Instagram.

Days later, Twitter restored the accounts of several suspended journalists after Musk held a Twitter poll, Times writer Gregory Yee reported.

Still, the State Department took the unusual step last week of weighing in on Musk’s suspensions of reporters and others who cover him — suggesting his actions are inconsistent with the principles of free speech.

U.S. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) blasted Musk’s actions.

“Elon Musk calls himself a free speech absolutist, to justify turning a blind eye to hatred and bigotry on Twitter,” the California congressman tweeted. “But when journalists report unfavorable news, they are banned without warning. The devotion to free speech is apparently not that absolute. But the hypocrisy is.”

Earlier this week, Musk tweeted out an unscientific survey asking users whether he should step down as the head of the tech company and vowed to “abide by” the results. In 12 hours, 17.5 million users voted, with nearly 58% saying he should step down.

Will Musk keep his promise? That’s unclear. As users voted, Musk revealed that he had no succession plan. “As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it,” he added.

After the results, Musk engaged with right-wing fans who suggested the poll was overtaken by bots. Multiple outlets reported that Musk was hunting for a new chief executive for the tech platform.

The view from the Jan. 6 committee

— The final report by the House committee investigating the insurrection will provide the most comprehensive account yet of what led to the worst attack on the Capitol in more than 200 years. But it’s not likely to include all of the evidence the panel collected in its 18-month investigation, Times writer Sarah D. Wire reported.

— The House panel unanimously recommended Monday that Trump be criminally prosecuted, Wire also reported. The referrals for Trump and others in his orbit — including former Chapman University professor John Eastman, Freddy Brewster reports — are nonbinding recommendations, but represent a historic step.

— The recommendation came after the committee held its final hearing Monday, Times writer Arit John reported.

The view from Washington

— A House panel voted along party lines Tuesday to release Trump’s tax returns, an unprecedented move that marks the culmination of a years-long legal battle to disclose his financial records, Times writer Nolan D. McCaskill reported.

— President Biden’s lawyers urged the Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject an emergency appeal from Republican-led states and end the Trump-era COVID-19 policy that turned away migrants at the border who were seeking asylum, Times writer David G. Savage reported. But Solicitor Gen. Elizabeth B. Prelogar also asked the high court to keep in place the so-called Title 42 border restrictions for another week to give the administration time to prepare for more intensive screening of migrants at the border. The border restrictions were set to expire on Wednesday, but Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. paused that deadline indefinitely on Monday.

— In his quest to be House speaker, Kevin McCarthy is charging straight into history — potentially becoming the first nominee in 100 years unable to win the job on a first-round floor vote, the Associated Press reported.

— The Senate passed legislation Thursday to fund the government for an additional week as lawmakers race to finish work on a full-year spending package before they head home for the holidays and a new Congress is sworn in, the Associated Press reported. Congress in September passed a bill to keep the government running through midnight Friday. The latest extension, which now goes to Biden’s desk to be signed into law, funds federal agencies through Dec. 23. It passed by a vote of 71 to 19.

The view from California

— If the last week was any indication, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass starts her tenure with the wind at her back, Times writer Benjamin Oreskes reported. A new poll of city voters finds that the mayor has more support than does the City Council, and a plurality of voters believe she can address Los Angeles’ problems with homelessness and housing.

— The possession and personal use of certain psychedelic drugs such as “magic mushrooms” and ayahuasca would be decriminalized in California under a bill introduced Monday, Times writer Hannah Wiley reported. Supporters of Senate Bill 58 say that the legislation is a step toward ending California’s “war on drugs” and that decriminalizing psychedelics could pave the way for better treatment options to alleviate substance use disorders and other health issues.

— Before Sam Bankman-Fried faced the collapse of his cryptocurrency empire and a slate of criminal and civil charges, the disgraced former executive of FTX was one of the biggest donors in the 2022 midterm elections, Times writers Nolan D. McCaskill and Laura J. Nelson reported. Some politicians have since sought to distance themselves from Bankman-Fried, leery of being linked to a mega-donor who faces up to 115 years in federal prison.

Sign up for our California Politics newsletter to get the best of The Times’ state politics reporting. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and send pictures of your adorable furbabies to me at [email protected].