Twitter permanently bans Newsmax White House correspondent

This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Twitter app icon on a mobile phone in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

NEW YORK — Twitter says it has permanently banned Newsmax White House correspondent Emerald Robinson from its service for repeated violations of its COVID-19 misinformation policy.

The social media company had earlier given Robinson a one-week ban for sending out a message to “Christians” that falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccines contained a bioluminescent marker called Luciferase that allows people to be tracked.

Newsmax subsequently took her off the air for an investigation.

On Tuesday, Robinson briefly returned to social media, tweeting that “I'm back ... on Twitter at least” and linking to an article she had written on Substack about the supposed marker. A Twitter spokesman said Thursday her account had been permanently banned.

Newsmax, which says it strongly supports the vaccine and urges its viewers to get the immunization, said it is reviewing Robinson's case. The network said Tuesday that “we have no anticipated date she will return.”