First District State Senator Jason Howell is questioning the context and motivation behind recent media report concerning an issue with his twitter account he thought was resolved two years ago.
In a statement released to the News Edge Senator Howell said in May 2021 a reporter brought to his attention a possible hack of his Twitter account and a number of “likes” delivered to pornographic sites. Howell says it became apparent his existing Twitter account @jasonghowell had been hacked or subject to spam in 2021. Senator Howell said he took immediate steps to secure his account.
Senator Howell’s statement indicates when he learned of the issues with the account, a report was made to Twitter support to remedy the situation. He says he consulted with an IT expert who helped him address the hack appropriately with a password change and other security measures. Senator Howell says although he is not a social media or IT expert it was his understanding the issues was resolved then.
Senator Howell’s statement goes on to say there are no new details to share today about any story about likes on Twitter after a hack is nearly two years old. He says since the hack, there has been no indication of any additional questionable activity on his personal Twitter account. He adds he was under the impression the issue was resolved in May 2021.
Senator Howell added he questions the context and motivation behind this almost two-year-old inquiry in light of his sponsorship of Senate Bill 5, which he feels is needed to protect children. Senator Howell adds in his opinion it is inappropriate for media outlets to take an editorial stance, outside their editorial pages, to try and undermine the legislative process. Howell says he remains committed to his constituents, the rest of the commonwealth, and the merits of Senate Bill 5.
Senate Bill 5, if passed, would specifically create a new section of KRS 158, defining something “harmful to minors.” It would require local boards of education to adopt a complaint resolution policy to address parent complaints about materials that are harmful to minors.
It would also require the school district to ensure that a student whose parent has filed a complaint does not have access to the material, and would force the Kentucky Department of Education to “promulgate” model complaint resolution policy. It is considered “EMERGENCY” legislation.
The statement came following a report published by a statewide news outlet March 7 noting that Senator Howell still had obscene images in his Twitter account history as of Monday, March 6, 2023. The article was written by a reporter who formerly worked for WKMS in Murray, but now works for an online publication called the Kentucky Lantern.
