Former FBI Director James Comey discouraged toxicity in political discourse Friday, saying civility is needed, especially on social media, to defeat Russian interference in upcoming elections.
“We must get better at disagreeing without hating,” he tweeted Friday. “The Russians know ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand.’ So they push us on social media from all sides. If we stand together as Americans and debate issues respectfully, then our true enemies will be defeated.”
We must get better at disagreeing without hating. The Russians know “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” So they push us on social media from all sides. If we stand together as Americans and debate issues respectfully, then our true enemies will be defeated.
— James Comey (@Comey) August 3, 2018
In a follow-up tweet, Comey said his followers would be able to see examples of such hate in the responses to his earlier tweet.
And I should have added: I never read Twitter comments, but I’m guessing you will be able to see examples of the problem there.
— James Comey (@Comey) August 3, 2018
Comey’s comments come a day after a White House briefing about foreign election interference that included top senior intelligence and national security officials. The group of officials told reporters they continue to be concerned about Russia’s efforts to interfere in the elections.
Facebook said Tuesday it had identified a political influence campaign aimed at potentially disrupting the 2018 midterm elections, though the company did not definitively say the campaign was linked to Russia.
