Twitter CEO Elon Musk in a now-deleted tweet expressed relief that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is poised to end his chairmanship next month, the latest in their recent heated back-and-forth on the platform.
Schiff has long railed against Musk as contributing to a rise in hate speech and misinformation on Twitter, but on Friday Schiff specifically responded to the social media platform’s suspension of several prominent journalists.
“Elon Musk calls himself a free speech absolutist, to justify turning a blind eye to hatred and bigotry on Twitter. 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,” Schiff wrote.
“Thankfully, you lose your chairmanship very soon. Your brain is too small,” Musk replied early Sunday morning before later deleting the tweet.
The tweet came the same day Musk traveled to Doha, Qatar, for the final game of the World Cup, where he was spotted alongside Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of and White House aide to former President Trump.
Schiff and Musk have critiqued each other for days as the Tesla CEO’s takeover of Twitter draws the ire of many liberals and civil rights groups, who have raised concerns about hate speech on the platform.
Schiff and another House Democrat earlier this month sent a letter to Musk demanding answers about his content moderation strategy, citing data suggesting the number of tweets containing slurs has grown exponentially since Musk’s takeover.
“False, hate speech impressions are actually down by 1/3 for Twitter now vs prior to acquisition,” Musk said in response to a Dec. 8 tweet by Schiff referencing the letter.
The Hill has reached out to Schiff’s office for comment..
With Republicans set to take control of the House, Schiff is poised to relinquish his chairmanship early next month.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is attempting to secure the Speakership, has vowed to boot Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee entirely.