Republican Missouri Senate candidate Eric Greitens is facing criticism and condemnation Monday after sharing a political ad urging supporters to go "RINO hunting.", Axios reports. In the 38-second video, Greitens talks about his past as a Navy Seal before saying he's going "RINO hunting," and cocking a shotgun. The term "RINO" stands for Republican In Name Only, referring to Republicans politicians who legislate and operate like Democrats would. Meta removed Greitens' videos from Facebook on Monday and Twitter has a warning placed on the video, saying it violates Twitter's rules about "abusive behavior." Greitens said Facebook "censored" his ad.
In the ad, Greitens called on his supporters to join the "MAGA crew" and get a "RINO hunting permit". He tweeted alongside the ad, "We are sick and tired of the Republicans in Name Only surrendering to Joe Biden and the radical Left." He shared a link for people to order their "RINO hunting permit" which leads to a donation page. Many politicians reacted to the video. "This is sociopathic. You're going to get someone killed." tweeted Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), "No television station or streaming service should agree to air this ad. Any broadcasters who air it should be referred to the @FCC." This isn't the first time Greitens released an ad that included a rifle. In 2016, he released a video ad during his campaign for governor in which he used an automatic Gatling gun.