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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Stuti Mishra

Sarah Sanders: Former Trump spokesperson gets lectured on First Amendment by her old high school teacher

Photograph: REUTERS

Former White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, got schooled on the First Amendment by none other than her high school teacher for complaining about losing followers on Twitter.  

Ms Sanders, who worked under the Trump administration, retweeted a tweet by Mike Pompeo showing that he and other Republicans lost Twitter followers significantly, while Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer gained them.

Ms Sanders wrote: “I’ve lost 50k+ followers this week. The radical Left and their big tech allies cannot marginalise, censor, or silence the American people. This is not China, this is the United States of America, and we are a free country.”

In response, Dana D Deree, who says he taught at Ms Sanders' old high school, wrote that if she had taken his advanced government class, she would "better understand the First Amendment."

“You were a student at Little Rock Central High when I taught AP Government there, but you didn't take the advanced class. If you had, maybe you would better understand the First Amendment and the difference between limits on government and freedoms for private individuals."

Mr Deree added: “I've taught Sunday School too. You didn't learn those lessons either.”

Several Republicans have been alleging discrimination by tech companies based on ideology after President’s Trump’s account was disabled following the Capitol riots. Some even termed it a violation of their freedom of speech.

According to Newsweel, Mr Deree's first reply amassed more than 66,000 likes at the time of writing, compared to Sanders' 11,000.

However, following trolling from supporters of Ms Sanders, the Arkansas educator has now protected his account.

The first amendment of the US constitution ensures freedom of speech and prohibits the government from passing a law prohibiting its free exercise. The steps taken by the social media platforms come after repeatedly flagging of the misinformation from Trump administration after the election.  

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