Udder Failure: Devin Nunes Can't ID Critics Behind Cow Tweets, So Suit Appears Moot

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) has apparently milked attempts to punish anti-Nunes parody Twitter accounts long enough.

His attorney complained in a court in Richmond, Virginia, on Friday that he and the congressman have hit a dead end in their bid to identify the scathing Nunes critics behind Devin Nunes Cow and Devin Nunes Mom, The Fresno Bee reported.

Nunes sued Twitter and the parody accounts last year, claiming they defamed him. The lawsuit, seeking a total of $250 million, alleges that Twitter worked with Republican strategist Liz Mair and the two accounts to damage Nuness reelection bid in 2018 which Twitter denies. Nunes was reelected.

The lawsuit triggered an explosion in the number of followers of the parody accounts and an explosion in the number of parody accounts. The number of followers of the cow account rocketed from 1,000 initially to 700,000 today.

Just a reminder that there is a legal fund for @NunesAlt and I. Any remaining funds will go to the Democrat who runs against Milk Dud#FirstAmendment https://t.co/9l1sxCFuKb

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Just a reminder that there is a legal fund for @NunesAlt and I. Any remaining funds will go to the Democrat who runs against Milk Dud#FirstAmendment https://t.co/9l1sxCFuKb
Devin Nunes cow (@DevinCow) November 1, 2019

Twitter argued early this year that Nunes cant sue the social media company for remarks in the parody accounts because federal law gives them broad immunity from liability for the comments of their users.

Twitter also refused to reveal the identities of the account holders. Virginia Judge John Marshall has not ordered the company to do so making suing those people virtually impossible, complained Nuness attorney Steven Biss.

Were trying to figure out who they are, and we read the comments on Twitter as painful as it is we do that every day, Biss said. But were at a dead end.

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He added angrily: Theyre doing more than allowing Liz Mair, the cow and the mom to post a tweet. Theyre censoring, theyre promoting an anti-Nunes agenda, theyre banning conservative accounts and theyre knowingly encouraging it.

Marshall has not yet ruled on the case, but he didnt appear particularly sympathetic to Nuness suit. I dont know of any requirement in the law that says these sites have to be neutral, Marshall said in court Friday. Just because you dont like it and asked to have them take it down, doesnt mean theyre liable if they dont take it down.

Devin Nunes Mom and the cow could not immediately be reached for comment.