Kinder Twitter-Gate: Time for an Apology and Suspension

We at the KC Blue Blog are all about new generation media outlets such as twitter, facebook, myspace and blogs. But as more elected officials get involved in the new technology you would think there would be a level of accountability.

That is, unless they have a habitual problem spreading misinformation.

Enter Republican Lt. Governor Peter Kinder.

Kinder and his team must have been hungover from the Tour of Missouri partying.

After a very serious situation unfolded Kinder and his Deputy Lt. Governor began tweeting and jumping on any news opportunity possible spreading information that simply added to the panic. Here in Kansas City, they were on every news network possible.

Deputy Lt. Governor Jerry Dowell even went so far as to say in a tweet "apparently shots were fired". The Lt. Governor went on television saying "third party sources are reporting shots were fired". Was his source, his own Deputy?

Not taking a moment to miss a political jab at Governor Nixon (even when someone's life could be on the line) Deputy Lt. Governor Dowell went on to say on another tweet "So was there a hostage situation? Shots fired? I think we need @missourinet to do some investigating. Maybe someone just mad about ecoli."

Now, KY 3 in Springfield is reporting that both Peter Kinder and Jerry Dowell have deleted tweets in a hope of covering up their misinformation campaign to get political press.

We at the KC Blue Blog are calling on the Lt. Governor to apologize to Missourians for his actions. We are also calling on him to suspend his Deputy Lt. Governor without pay for his blatant misinformation and political selfishness in a very serious time for Missouri.

He was so proud to claim on television that "he was the first to tweet about it" and now he's erased those very same tweets.

We think it's obvious why.