Hours before Lee’s suspension, the Utah senator used the account to tweet at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, urging him to release Lt. Ridge Alkonis. The US Navy lieutenant’s three-year prison sentence in Japan, stemming from his involvement in a deadly traffic accident in 2021, has caused tensions between the US and Japan.

“Hand Lt. Alkonis over to U.S. custody immediately,” Lee declared in one tweet.

“If you don’t hand him over in the next seven hours, a series of conversations will begin tomorrow to inform Americans of how poorly you’re treating our military personnel—not just Ridge Alkonis, but all 55,000 U.S. forces in Japan,” he later tweeted.

[It can’t be this, right? I assume that something on the account triggered an algorithmic response, which is an issue that can be readily resolved, or else a wave of complaints from progressives triggered an automatic suspension. If this is really the issue, well … — Ed]