Pelosi's Office Fails To Get Trump Video Deleted On Facebook, Twitter

Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripping up the text of President Trump's State Of The Union speech Tuesday was one of the enduring moments of American politics. But then Trump -- among the world's best social media practitioners -- struck back, posting an edited video of the act on Twitter.

It has emerged that the Speaker's office tried, and failed, to force Facebook and Twitter to take down that video.

The Speaker's office had queitly swung into action after Trump posted the video Thursday, a report by CNBC said. The video showed the Speaker ripping up the text of Trump's State Of The Union speech even as the President saluted Tuskegee Airman and retired Brig. Gen. Charles McGee. Pelosi ripped up the text as the President ended his speech, not when Trump was talking of Gen. McGee. Her office said the Speaker actually stood and applauded McGee during Trump's speech. It is not clear who produced the video.

The video is currently pinned to the top of President Trump's Twitter page.

The dispute erupted into public view Friday when Pelosi's Deputy Chief of Staff Drew Hammill tweeted out an article criticizing the video. He further tweeted: "The American people know that the President has no qualms about lying to them – but it is a shame to see Twitter and Facebook, sources of news for millions, do the same."

Hammill followed that up with another tweet: "The latest fake video of Speaker Pelosi is deliberately designed to mislead and lie to the American people, and every day that these platforms refuse to take it down is another reminder that they care more about their shareholders’ interests than the public’s interests."

But, Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesman, replied to Hammill, asking: "Sorry, are you suggesting the President didn't make those remarks and the Speaker didn't rip the speech?"

And Hammill blasted him: "What planet are you living on? This is deceptively altered. Take it down."

But Facebook, and Twitter, refused. CNBC quoted Stone as saying "I can confirm for you that the video doesn’t violate our policies.”

Stone reasoned that Facebook's policies apply when an edited video makes it appear a person said something they didn’t say or did something they didn’t do. Stone also tweeted out to Hammill: "The reason I was making the point about the fact that the things featured in this video actually happened is because that's a key element of our policy on content like this."

Twitter, too, declined to heed Hammill's demand although it had just rolled out Tuesday a new set of policies on altered media. The new policy goes into effect only March 5, and the company refused to remove the video under its current rules.

But amid all the public show of anger from Hammill, Facebook did take down another video because it violated the company's policies. The video was edited to show Pelosi eating Tide Pods.