Rep. Devin Nunes's Twitter lawsuit may have had the opposite effect he intended.
Instead of quelling the insults and invectives hurled against him on Twitter, they've only become louder.
One of the targets in his lawsuit, the "Devin Nunes' cow" account (@DevinCow) , is now a towering presence on the site. The account started in August 2017. At the time of his lawsuit filed Monday, it had just 1,024 followers.
Now, it has nearly 600,000, which is more than both of Nunes' own accounts combined. It's a clear example of the Streisand Effect .
Nunes, a California Republican, is particularly hated by liberals. As the former chair of the Intelligence committee in the House of Representatives, he stonewalled investigations into President Donald Trump and his campaign's ties to Russia's election interference.
Read more: Rep. Devin Nunes is suing Twitter and anonymous users who made fun of him for $250 million
The congressman has also drawn scrutiny because, as revealed by an investigative story published in Esquire last year , he moved his California farm (where Nunes has served as a representative) to Iowa in 2006, though he never spoke about it publicly . The farm, in anti-immigrant Republican Rep. Steve King's district , also appears to employ a large number of undocumented immigrants.
Hence, Devin Nunes's cow.
To be sure, Nunes's lawsuit isn't just against people making fun of him on Twitter. (His lawsuit included a long list of insults from the now-suspended "Devin Nunes' mom" account.) The suit also advances the conspiracy theory that Twitter suppresses conservative voices through a "shadow ban." The theory has not been substantiated, but it's a popular talking point in conservative media and politics.
Nunes's lawsuit has other targets as well. In addition to the Devin Nunes' cow account, the Devin Nunes' mom account, and Twitter itself, he is also suing Elizabeth Mair, a Republican communications strategist he believes is involved with the comical Twitter accounts, and her strategy company.
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
