Vindman advises Musk to be 'cautious' after Telegram CEO was arrested: 'Free speech absolutists are strange'

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a retired military officer who testified in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, cautioned Elon Musk on Sunday following the arrest of Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram messaging app, in France.

On Saturday night in Paris, Durov was served with an arrest warrant due to a preliminary police investigation into his alleged failure to control criminal activity on Telegram, as reported by TF1 TV and BFM TV.

Experts and industry leaders warned about the international free speech implications of Musk's arrest, but Vindman supported the move and advised X's CEO about the "growing appetite for accountability," suggesting that Musk could be next.

"Vindman wrote that Durov's arrest for violating French law, despite holding French citizenship, has broader implications for other social media platforms, including Twitter. He noted a growing intolerance for platforming disinformation and malign influence, and a growing appetite for accountability. Vindman advised Musk to be nervous."

Over the weekend, Musk posted multiple times on X about Durov's arrest and used the hashtag #FreePavel on social media.

Musk wrote about government censorship in one post, stating that it is a dangerous time.

The New York Times reports that Telegram, with over 900 million users, is a messaging app similar to WhatsApp, but it also enables communication among large groups across different channels.

Law enforcement agencies worldwide are monitoring the app due to its use by terrorist groups, drug runners, weapons dealers, and far-right extremist groups for communication, recruitment, and organization purposes.

Durov, a prominent figure in the tech industry, was arrested by the French government, sparking outrage from politicians and industry leaders who accused the government of infringing on free speech.

RFK Jr. wrote that the urgency to safeguard free speech has never been greater on X.

Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski stated, "France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, for not censoring speech."

A conservative commentator, Ian Miles Cheong, contended that the arrest was an element of a witch hunt.

The post stated that the aim is to suppress opposition and manipulate information, turning the internet into a tool for propaganda. It highlighted the attack on freedom of speech that was taking place.

Vindman's warning to Musk resulted in a backlash, prompting him to respond with a post attacking "free speech absolutists weirdos."

"The fact that your nominee for POTUS is a sexual predator should be the focus of attention rather than enforcement increasing the likelihood of Durov's arrest."

In 2020, Alexander Vindman and his brother Eugene gained national attention for blowing the whistle on Trump's phone call with Zelenskyy regarding Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine. Alexander later testified against Trump and retired from the military.

This report was contributed to by Hanna Panreck of Planet Chronicle and Jasmine Baehr of Fox Business.