Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter on Sunday (local time) denied sharing links to sites known to publish false news to New York Times (NYT).
"This is fake - I did *not* tweet out a link to The New York Times!" tweeted Musk.
The tweet by Musk, which was later deleted, posted an article that made baseless allegations about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, reported NYT.
The tweet raised new questions about how, or if, Musk will act to combat misinformation and hate speech on the social media site.
On Saturday, Hillary Clinton, the former first lady and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, posted a tweet assailing Republicans for spreading "hate and deranged conspiracy theories" that she said had emboldened the man who attacked Pelosi's husband, Paul, inside the couple's home in San Francisco early Friday, reported NYT.
In a reply to Clinton's tweet, Musk wrote, "There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye" and then shared a link to an article in the Santa Monica Observer. The article alleges that Pelosi was drunk and in a fight with a male prostitute.
Musk's tweet was later deleted, and it was not immediately clear who had deleted it, reported NYT.
The tweet from Musk came on the heels of his vow in an open letter to advertisers that Twitter would not become a freewheeling site that allowed entirely unfettered commentary.
"Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences," he wrote. "Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world."
A 2021 editorial in The Los Angeles Times about websites that "masquerade as legitimate local newspapers" noted that the Santa Monica Observer, "owned by onetime City Council candidate David Ganezer, is notorious for publishing false news."
In 2016, for example, the publication advanced a claim that Clinton had died and that a body double was sent to debate the Republican presidential nominee, Donald J Trump.
The police have said that Pelosi, 82, was attacked with a hammer inside his home by a man, David DePape, who had entered through the back door. The police have said that when they arrived at the home, they found the two men wrestling for control of a hammer, reported NYT.
The authorities have said that DePape, 42, would probably face several charges, including attempted homicide and assault with a deadly weapon. At one point, DePape is said to have shouted, "Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?"
Musk's purchase of Twitter for USD 44 billion was completed on Thursday, the same day he fired several of the company's top leaders, including the chief executive Parag Agrawal.
Ahead of the possibility of sweeping changes at the platform, like reinstating the account of Trump, who was barred from the site after the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, Musk has said he would create a content moderation council.
"No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes," he wrote.
( With inputs from ANI )
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