Politicians from both sides of the aisle are lighting up Twitter about Sony's decision to cancel its controversial movie "The Interview" after threats of a 9/11-style attack at theaters that show it.
Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney called for Sony to release the movie for free online, while Rep. Steve Israel, a New York Democrat, tweeted: "Dear @SonyPictures — please make #TheInterviewMovie available in DVD so I can decide whether to see it, not N. Korea."
Israel also tweeted that he’d be the first in line to see "The Interview" and that "we should not let a pathological regime in N. Korea intimidate us."
Sony scrapped plans for a Christmas Day release of "The Interview" on the heels of five of the largest theater chains canceling screenings. The comedy features Seth Rogen and James Franco as spies on a mission to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who is said to be portrayed as a buffoon.
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Associated Press reports that federal investigators have linked the Sony hacking, done by a group who refers to itself as "Guardians of Peace," to North Korea "though it remained unclear how the federal government would respond to a break-in that exposed sensitive documents and ultimately led to terrorist threats against moviegoers."
A message released by the group Tuesday warned: "We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places "The Interview" be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to. Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear."
Sony followed up with a statement on Wednesday saying that "in light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film 'The Interview,' we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers."
The Hill reports that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called Sony's decision "a very dangerous precedent."
In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, President Barack Obama acknowledged that the hacking of Sony’s information systems exploited "vulnerabilities in our technology."
"We've made progress," the president told ABC "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir. "But what we just saw with Sony shows a lot more progress needs to be done. That means, by the way, that Congress also needs to take up cyber security legislation that’s been languishing for several years now."
Even outspoken liberal director Michael Moore took to Twitter to poke Sony for its handling of the situation.
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