YouTube deletes Post interview with judge’s son who stormed Capitol, citing ‘misinformation’
Ahead of a primetime congressional hearing on last year’s Capitol riot, YouTube on Monday deleted The Post’s widely circulated interview with fur-clad rioter Aaron Mostofsky — saying the Brooklyn judge’s son spouted “misinformation.”
The Justice Department cited the interview in its case against Mostofsky, 35, who was sentenced to eight months behind bars last month for his role in the riot. It was one of the only professional interviews conducted inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as a wild mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters disrupted the certification of the 2020 election.
“We realize this may be disappointing news, but it’s our job to make sure that YouTube is a safe place for all,” the Google-owned platform said in a Monday night notice of removal.
“Content that advances false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches changed the outcome of the US 2020 presidential election is not allowed on YouTube.”
The policy on election-related claims appears to be unevenly enforced. For example, footage remains available on YouTube of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton claiming that the 2016 election was “stolen” and that Trump was an “illegitimate president.”
The interview with Mostofsky, published 17 months ago to the personal channel of a Post reporter, was clearly labeled as a journalistic product and the description field specified that the interview was with The Post, with a link to the newspaper’s reporting.
Footage from the riot featured prominently in the 2021 Senate impeachment trial of Trump for allegedly inciting the violence, and it may again feature in the Thursday primetime hearing put on by the Democrat-led House select committee investigating the mayhem.
Mostofsky, the son of Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Steven Mostofsky, was wearing a police vest and holding a riot shield outside the Senate chamber when he agreed to be interviewed.
He was among the first wave of rioters to breach the building, which sent Vice President Mike Pence, legislators and most journalists fleeing to secure locations.
Mostofsky, standing feet from the main doorway to the Senate, claimed he “found” the police supplies he was wearing and that he joined the mob because the election was “stolen.”
Prosecutors later revealed that he wore his bizarre fur-pelt costume to demonstrate that “even a caveman knows [the election] was stolen.”
“Can you tell me what you’re doing here today?” the interview begins.
“Well, to express my opinion as a free American, my belief that this election was stolen. We were cheated. I don’t think 75 million people voted for Trump, I think it was close to 85 million. I think certain states that had been blue for a long time had been red and were stolen like New York,” Mostofsky said.
“And where did you travel from?” The Post asked.
“Brooklyn,” Mostofsky said.
“Can you tell me anything about the shield here?” The Post followed up.
“The shield? Found it on the floor. I found a cap and I gave it to the cops because it may be someone’s personal thing. This [shield], I have no idea. There’s no name. They probably just grab it. Looks like it’s been used a lot,” the rioter said.
“Should senators be afraid? Should House members be afraid?” The Post asked as Mostofsky’s compatriots smashed up the historic building.
https://nypost.com/2022/06/07/youtube-deletes-posts-capitol-riot-interview-with-aaron-mostofsky/