TRUMP SUMMONS SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES AFTER SHOOTINGS

The White House will host a meeting about online extremism with an array of tech and internet companies this week after a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, was linked to an anti-immigrant manifesto posted to a fringe social networking platform.

Friday’s meeting will come days after President Trump blamed the shooting in part on the issue of online radicalization. The suspected 21-year-old shooter in El Paso allegedly posted a racist screed to 8chan shortly before killing 22 people and injuring dozens more last Saturday.

“The White House has invited internet and technology companies for a discussion on violent extremism online,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

“The staff-led meeting will take place Friday and include senior administration officials along with representatives of a range of companies,” he said, declining to offer more information on who has been invited.

Trump on Monday said he ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to work closely with social media companies to identify potential mass shooters based on their online footprints. The DOJ did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on whether it would send an official to the meeting.

“The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online consumed by racist hate,” Trump said. “We must recognize that the internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalize disturbed minds and perform demented acts.”