Trump administration tried to force Twitter to unmask Devin Nunes parody account

The Trump administration tried to force Twitter to unmask the user behind a parody account that mocked Republican Congressman Devin Nunes.

The Trump Justice Department served the social media giant with a subpoena on November 24, 2020 demanding the name of the person behind the @NunesAlt account.

They also issued a gag order preventing the company from speaking about the request, according to a recently released court document.

Nunes was a vocal Trump supporter during his only term in the White House, but was often the target of ridicule on social media.

A federal judge unveiled a Twitter motion filed in March to vacate the subpoena issued last November.

In the court filing, Twitter had expressed concern that the federal government was assisting Nunes in his legal fights with his critics online.

In the past two years, Nunes and his campaign committee have filed nine lawsuits against those critics, including two other Twitter accounts, @DevinCow and @DevinNunesMom.

“It appears to Twitter that the subpoena may be related to Congressman Devin Nunes’ repeated efforts to expose the people behind the parody accounts who criticize him,” the motion read.

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“His efforts to repress critical discourse are as publicized as they are unsuccessful.”

It’s unclear if Twitter ever complied with the subpoena or if Joe Biden’s Justice Department ever worked on it.

In its court filing, Twitter had argued that the subpoena violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

“Twitter is committed to protecting the freedom of expression of those who use our service,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement Monday.

“We have a strong track record and we take seriously the trust placed in us to work to protect people’s private information on Twitter.”

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