Pineville Fire shared Ted Cruz’s anti-IRS tweet after a possible hack, official says
The sharing of a U.S. senator’s tweet on the Pineville Fire Department’s Twitter page that called for the IRS to be abolished was likely the result of the account being hacked, a department official said Monday.
The department has “taken steps” to regain control of the account and get the tweet down, Assistant Chief Jeff Long told The Charlotte Observer.
“It’s our official account,” he said, “but not an official stance of the department.”
The retweet Sunday of Texas Republican Ted Cruz’s post that reads “Abolish the IRS,” was still on the @PinevilleFire account early Monday but was taken down by 10:30 a.m.
“A couple of people have access” to the account, Long said when asked who manages the page, but the department has not determined how the hack might have happened.
The department has received multiple calls from the public questioning the post, Long said.
Pineville Town Manager Ryan Spitzer, in an email to the Observer, said the fire department is an independent, volunteer organization.
“As such we do not have access or influence over their social media accounts,” he said.
This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 12:31 PM.
