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Justice Department tweets, then deletes, a dig calling CNN a Trump troll

In what appeared to be a staffers' mistaken missive, the DOJ tweeted CNN was "the biggest troll of them all" for an article about the Republican National Convention.

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Joan E. Solsman Former Senior Reporter
Joan E. Solsman was CNET's senior media reporter, covering the intersection of entertainment and technology. She's reported from locations spanning from Disneyland to Serbian refugee camps, and she previously wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. She bikes to get almost everywhere and has been doored only once.
Expertise Streaming video, film, television and music; virtual, augmented and mixed reality; deep fakes and synthetic media; content moderation and misinformation online Credentials
  • Three Folio Eddie award wins: 2018 science & technology writing (Cartoon bunnies are hacking your brain), 2021 analysis (Deepfakes' election threat isn't what you'd think) and 2022 culture article (Apple's CODA Takes You Into an Inner World of Sign)
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Joan E. Solsman
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Can the Justice Department ever LMAO? The answer, briefly Tuesday morning, was yes.

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Screenshot by Joan E. Solsman/CNET

In what appeared to be a staffers' personal missive incorrectly published on the DOJ's official account, the tweet linked to a CNN article titled "Campaign denies Melania Trumps's speech plagiarizes parts of Michelle Obama's."

"CNN is the biggest troll of them all lmao #Petty," the tweet read. It was later deleted.

In an emailed statement, the DOJ said that a staffer mistakenly used the department's Twitter handle to tweet something intended for a personal account. The department said it has "implemented procedural changes to the way we use our social media accounts and will provide additional social media training for employees."

"The tweet does not represent the Department's views and was inappropriate for the Department of Justice's official account, so it was immediately deleted," the statement said, adding that the staffer's access to the the DOJ's social media accounts has been revoked.

Update, 10:10 a.m. PT: Adds Justice Department statement.