Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is putting Elon Musk on notice after learning that not only is a parody Twitter account impersonating her sporting a verified blue checkmark, but Musk has been interacting with the account, which has significantly boosted its reach.
“FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral,” AOC tweeted. “The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility. It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread. I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.”
FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility.
It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread.
I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 30, 2023
The account in question is @AOCpress and has been tweeting under the screenname “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody).” Granted, the word “parody” is in the screenname, but since it’s so long, the “parody” label is not visible when viewing tweets on the timeline.
As for Musk interacting with the account, all it took was a stroke of his ego. The parody account tweeted, “This might be the wine talking, but I’ve got a crush on @elonmusk,” which prompted Musk to respond with the fire emoji.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2023
While AOC hasn’t specified what move her team is deciding, legal action could be on the table. The new Twitter verification system under Musk has been rife for abuse and impersonating a United States congresswoman could be the final straw that prompts yet another expensive lawsuit for the embattled CEO.