Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez complained late Wednesday that her Twitter account stopped working properly shortly after she traded barbs with the site’s new owner, Elon Musk.
The progressive lawmaker floated a claim that Musk was somehow responsible for the glitch, which allegedly affected her ability to receive Twitter notifications.
“Also my twitter mentions/notifications conveniently aren’t working tonight, so I was informed via text that I seem to have gotten under a certain billionaire’s skin,” Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted. “Just a reminder that money will never by [sic] your way out of insecurity, folks.”
The Post has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office and Twitter for further comment.
Ocasio-Cortez is one of several public figures who have publicly grumbled about Musk’s plan to charge users $8 per month to maintain their “blue check” badges on Twitter. The billionaire is adamant that he won’t budge from the $8 monthly price point.
The New York Democrat expressed her frustration with Musk’s plan earlier this week.
“Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that ‘free speech’ is actually a $8/mo subscription plan,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday night.
“Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8,” Musk replied on Wednesday.
Musk further rankled Ocasio-Cortez, a self-declared Democratic socialist, by sharing a screenshot from the lawmaker’s online store, where a “periwinkle supporter crew sweatshirt” emblazoned with her name is sold for $58. Musk circled the price and posted a thinking-face emoji.
Ocasio-Cortez fired back by calling Musk a “union buster.”
“My workers are union, have full healthcare + benefits like childcare help, and every one is paid a living wage. Proceeds go to community acts like tutoring underserved kids,” she tweeted. “You’re a union buster with an ego problem who pockets the change from underpaying and mistreating people.”
Musk and Ocasio-Cortez have clashed on several occasions in the past. In May, she said she wanted to get rid of her Tesla after an exchange in which Musk responded to her tweet about “some billionaire with an ego problem” by joking, “Stop hitting on me, I’m really shy.”
Musk and his team have identified an overhaul of the “Twitter Blue” subscription service as a top priority for the company. Earlier this week, the billionaire described Twitter’s current verification process as a “lords and peasants system.”
The Twitter CEO said users will receive an array of benefits in exchange for the $8 fee, including fewer ads and the ability to post longform audio and video. He also asserted that his plan would help crack down on spam accounts.