A fake cow that is the target of a lawsuit by a right-wing Donald Trump loving congressman is having its moment. Some might say it’s moooooo-ing right along.
The Twitter account “Devin Nunes’ cow,” which professes to be “hanging out on the dairy in Iowa looking for the lil’ treasonous cowpoke,” has more than 510,000 followers as of tonight.
That’s a dramatic increase from the 1,000 or so before Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing the cow account, Twitter, and two other users of defamation.
Nunes’s own verified account has 395,000 followers.
Another account cited in the suit, “Devin Nunes’ mom” has since been suspended.
Both accounts were created to use puns and humor to criticize Nunes, after an article in Esquire exposed that his family had secretly moved their farm to Iowa, long before he used it as a central part of his California campaign narrative.
Nunes, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a Trump ally, on Monday filed a lawsuit against the tech company, two comedy accounts, and a Republican communications consultant for more than $250 million, accusing Twitter of allowing and profiting from “abusive, hateful, and defamatory” content.
The move has inspired even more jokes at Nunes expense, especially on late night TV, highlighting how the congressman cosponsored legislation last year called the “Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act”.
Congressman @DevinNunes is suing an imaginary cow. Whatever you do, DON’T follow @DevinCow… https://t.co/jWIDn0OvKR
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) March 20, 2019
The surging popularity of @DevinCow brought on more puns for a case that has already given life to a parody account by Stephen Colbert.
“It’s silly but also UDDER-Ly enjoyable,” CNN commentator Ana Navarro-Cárdenas tweeted. “MILK it for all it’s worth.”
— Devin Nunes’ cow (@DevinCow) March 20, 2019
Nunes told Fox News’s Sean Hannity that the suit is “the first of many” to come, though legal experts question its chances of success.
Devin Nunes’ Cow meanwhile, has inspired everything from cow-themed t-shirts for sale, fan art, to it’s very own hashtag: #themooovement. And, new Nunes parody accounts are popping up in solidarity.