Twitter has rules around offensive content, but will sometimes leave a Tweet that may violate it's terms of service up if it is newsworthy.

Twitter is considering labeling tweets that violate its terms of service but aren't taken down because they are of public interest.

Twitter's legal chief Vijaya Gadde discussed the process at a Washington Post event Wednesday.

Twitter has rules around offensive content, but it also has a "newsworthiness clause" that allows tweets that may be offensive to stay on the platform if they are of public interest.

Twitter doesn't give total immunity to public figures to tweet whatever they want. Gadde emphasized that Twitter would draw the line on some content.

"An example would be a direct violent threat against an individual that we wouldn't leave on the platform because of the danger it poses to that individual," she said.

However, Gadde also pointed out that leaving offensive but newsworthy tweets up on the site without context let's them just "live on Twitter and people can see it and they just assume that is the type of content or behavior that’s allowed by our rules."