David Leavitt, an individual who on Twitter describes himself as an "award-winning multimedia journalist," first urged his followers to call and then said he called Virginia Child Protective Services (CPS) himself after Virginia state Senate candidate Tina Ramirez tweeted that she teaches her daughter "real American history."
On Sunday, Ramirez, a single mother and Republican candidate in the state Senate's 12th District, tweeted about the PayPal misinformation controversy, writing:
"Only women can get pregnant. Do I owe PayPal $2500 now?"
In a response to Ramirez posted on Monday, Columbus Day, Leavitt tweeted:
"Why are you celebrating torture, rape, murder, and enslavement?"
Ramirez responded:
"I teach my daughter real American history. I refuse to join the radical left’s campaign to erase history."
In response to Ramirez's tweet, Leavitt then launched an effort to have Ramirez reported to CPS.
Can someone please call child care services on Tina Ramirez who's teaching her child to be a racist? https://t.co/JL00PJNU5z
— David Leavitt (@David_Leavitt) October 10, 2022
Leavitt posted the hotline number for such reports and then detailed what he said was his own call to the hotline: "The Virginia State hotline for child abuse has a 10+ minute hold and is experiencing “high call volumes” with 14 callers ahead of me," wrote Leavitt. "This is absolutely unacceptable. How many people try to report child abuse and hang up? How many children will continue to be abused?"
Leavitt continued to update his wait time, writing that his wait time reached upwards of an hour.
In response to Leavitt’s tweet calling for her to be reported to CPS, Ramirez responded: "Mighty bold and liberal of you to lecture a Hispanic mother with a black daughter on racism. What’s next? Are you going to lecture me on women’s rights?"
In response to Ramirez’s reply, Leavitt wrote: "The lady who's teaching her kids how to be racist thinks I'm 'bold.' Does she know I'm hold to report her to child and family services?"
In a thread of tweets calling out Leavitt, Ramirez said his actions were "appalling," saying that he tied up child care services lines from hearing serious cases.
Tonight, @David_Leavitt called Child Protective Services to report “child abuse” because I teach my daughter about Christopher Columbus and real American history. As a single mother, I am my daughter’s only support. This is appalling for a number of reasons.
1/4 https://t.co/fKHy7NhGC3 — Tina Ramirez (@TinaRamirezVA) October 11, 2022
The Code of Virginia states that those who knowingly make false reports of child abuse or neglect would be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
"Any person fourteen years of age or older who makes or causes to be made a report of child abuse or neglect pursuant to this chapter that he knows to be false shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor," the state’s code says.
Leavitt has come under fire before for his tweets. In 2017, he joked about dead children following the bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.
Also in 2017, he complained over Twitter that a McDonalds employee refused to refill his drink. When the restaurant did not respond, he vowed to never enter the restaurant again.
In January of 2020, Leavitt posted a picture of a Massachusetts Target manager and claimed he called the police on her because she wouldn't sell him an electric toothbrush for one cent.
Action . . . . Intelligence . . . . Publish
