Twitter generals of the #resistance are accused of buying social media interactions
Ed and Brian Krassenstein, who are staunch opponents of President Donald Trump and his policies, operated very influential Twitter accounts that garnered millions of interactions from their supporters.
On Thursday, their accounts were suspended.
The brothers were accused of purchasing false interactions in order to boost their prominence on the platform.
"The Twitter Rules apply to everyone," a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement according to the Daily Beast.
"Operating multiple fake accounts and purchasing account interactions are strictly prohibited," the statement explained. "Engaging in these behaviors will result in permanent suspension from the service."
Ed Krassenstein had nearly a million followers on Twitter before it was suspended, and his brother Brian Krassenstein had nearly 700,000 followers.
The Krassensteins responded to the Twitter ban in a statement posted to Twitter that denied the allegations. They admitted to having secondary accounts, but said those were used to monitor threats made against them online.
In 2016 the FBI raided the brothers as part of their investigation into scam websites. The brothers settled with the government with a fine of $450,000, but they were never charged with any criminal activity.
Here's a VICE report about the Krassensteins:
Meet The Krassensteins, The Superstar Bros Of #Resistance Twitter (HBO)www.youtube.com
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