Nunes’s hunt for Twitter cow’s identity at ‘dead end,’ attorney says

An attorney representing Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said Friday the congressman has reached a “dead end” in his efforts to identify whoever is behind the parody Twitter accounts titled “Devin Nunes’ Cow” and “Devin Nunes’ Mom.”

Twitter has refused to disclose the names of the person or people operating the accounts, leading Nunes to file a lawsuit last year alleging he has been defamed on the platform by the two anonymous accounts as well as Republican political strategist Liz Mair. 

Nunes’s attorney, Steven Biss, told The Fresno Bee that after Virginia Judge John Marshall opined that Twitter is not obligated to release the identities, finding out who they are so they can properly be served lawsuits is virtually impossible. 

“We’re 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 we’re at a dead end.” 

Patrick Carome, an attorney for Twitter, told the Bee that Biss “is asking the court to enact a new law” and “if he wants a new law, well, Mr. Nunes is a congressman.”

The lawsuit, which is seeking a total of $250 million, alleges that Twitter worked with Mair and the two accounts to damage Nunes’s reelection bid in 2018, claims Twitter disputes.

“They’re doing more than allowing Liz Mair, the cow and the mom to post a tweet,” Biss told the Bee. “They’re censoring, they’re promoting an anti-Nunes agenda, they’re banning conservative accounts and they’re knowingly encouraging it.”

The two parody accounts have surged in popularity due to Nunes’s lawsuit, with Devin Nunes’s cow amassing more than 700,000 followers. 

The account titled “Devin Nunes’ Alt-Mom,” shared the Bee story, saying: “Yes, Mr. Biss, we also thought you were at a dead end. Maybe you should reassess your life choices that got you here.”

Yes, Mr. Biss, we also thought you were at a dead end.

Maybe you should reassess your life choices that got you here. https://t.co/Giz4PEfq30

— Devin Nunes’ Alt-Mom (@NunesAlt) June 12, 2020