Establishment mourns Twitter’s ‘free speech’ executive who booted Trump, censored Hunter Biden story

Censorship advocates Saturday mourned the termination of former Twitter Head of Legal Policy, Trust, and Safety Vijaya Gadde, who was fired by new Twitter owner Elon Musk after the billionaire assumed ownership of the company Thursday. 

Gadde made the call to censor the New York Post’s bombshell Hunter Biden story during the 2020 presidential election and to permanently ban President Trump from the platform in January 2021. 

Musk, who has referred to himself as a “free speech absolutist,” promptly fired Gadde along with CEO Parag Agrawal and other executives after entering Twitter’s headquarters Thursday in what is being referred to as the “Freebird Massacre”. 

Among those who expressed frustration at the former chief legal officer’s termination was CBS News, who called the former executive “the head of Twitter’s free speech stance.” 

“In his first full day since Elon Musk took over Twitter, he fired several top executives including the head of Twitter’s free speech stance. Musk said he’ll form a ‘content moderation council’ before deciding if banned users like former Pres. Trump and Kanye West can return,” CBS wrote in a tweet. 

In April, America’s Frontline News reported that Gadde broke down in tears in a meeting after a deal was reached to sell the social media platform to free speech advocate Elon Musk.  

“Gadde cried during the meeting as she expressed concerns about how the company could change, according to three people familiar with the meeting,” Politico reported at the time. “She acknowledged that there are significant uncertainties about what the company will look like under Musk’s leadership.”  

Responding to a tweet of the report, Twitter’s new owner responded to Gadde’s censorship of the New York Post’s Hunter Biden story.  

“Suspending the Twitter account of a major news organization for publishing a truthful story was obviously incredibly inappropriate,” wrote Musk. 

But CBS News was not the only disappointed party. 

Olivia Troye, a former national security official who remains an advisor to anti-Trump group Defending Democracy Together, tweeted her sadness at Gadde’s termination. 

“Vijaya Gadde @vijaya, head of legal, policy, trust & safety at Twitter was reportedly fired by Elon Musk today. Having worked w/ her & her team along the way on national security efforts, I just want to thank her & her team for their commitment to trying to make a difference,” wrote Troye. 

Other members of the media chimed in, with some claiming Gadde contributed to free speech. 

“People do not realize how much @vijaya did for free speech,” said Techdirt writer and editor Mike Masnick. “Twitter is less of a free speech platform without her.” 

“It’s like the gates of hell opened on this site tonight,” tweeted Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz. 

But many celebrated the move as a win for free speech. 

“I was suspended 8 times for absolutely no reason. I have zero sympathy for Vijaya Gadde- chief of account banning and censorship,” wrote popular account Libs of TikTok.

“Parag Agarwal and Vijaya Gadde might be fellow Indians, but I feel about them the same way I feel about two mafia bosses who relished ‘rubbing out’ their opposition and then, as inevitably happens to such people, got ‘rubbed out’ themselves,” shared 2,000 Mules producer Dinesh D’Souza. “Indians have a term for this. Karma!” 

“Vijaya Gadde made $17 million last year, has a net worth north of $50 million, and is getting a $12 million buyout from Twitter,” tweeted political commentator Greg Price. “She earned this while censoring conservatives and rigging elections for Joe Biden. So no, I don't feel bad for her or any lowlife that Elon Musk fires."

“Outstanding. Scorched earth policy,” Australian political commentator Rita Panahi tweeted. “Early days but Elon Musk is off to a solid start.”

“This is one of the very few times I will celebrate someone crying as she loses her job,” Ron DeSantis Rapid Response Director Christina Pushaw tweeted.

Other political commentators such as Jack Posobiec and Tim Pool reportedly celebrated Gadde’s firing by toasting each other from a $4,500 bottle of cognac.