A surreal few days have become even more extraordinary. A website of the United States Department said that the presidency of Donald Trump came to an end on the 11th of January, 2020, nine days before the swearing in of Joe Biden as President. The page of Vice President was altered in a similar manner.
A message appeared on the biography page of the US President saying, “Donald J. Trump’s term ended on 2021-01-11 19:22:18.”
The bizarre incident occurred at a time when Democrats in the US House of Representatives announced that they will be moving forward with impeachment for a second time and it could happen as early as Wednesday. Calls have been made for the 25th Amendment to be evoked as well without much headway in that regard. According to Buzzfeed News, a disgruntled employee was responsible for the alteration and an internal investigation has been initiated into the matter.
A diplomat is reported to have said that it is a “closed system” that is “nearly impossible to hack”. However, it is also said the investigation could be a challenge as many people have access to the content management system currently in use. The incident has sparked quite the clamour on social media with people commenting that it an inexcusable error and a felony if intentional.
Especially under current circumstances, with tempers running high, it could lead to serious consequences for those responsible if it indeed was the work of a ‘disgruntled employee’. Since the storming of Capitol Hill by Trump supporters, tech giants have engaged in massive censorship and Donald Trump himself has been removed from the platforms.
