PRESSED ON PARODY ACCOUNT

The Trump administration subpoenaed Twitter for information on who was operating an account parodying Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a close ally of the former president, according to court documents unsealed on Monday.

A federal judge on Monday unsealed a motion from Twitter filed on March 10 to quash the subpoena that was issued in November. In the newly-public filing, Twitter argued that it was concerned the government was aiding Nunes’ legal efforts to attack and unmask his online critics and said that the subpoena violated the First Amendment.

“It appears to Twitter that the Subpoena may be related to Congressman Devin Nunes’s repeated efforts to unmask individuals behind parody accounts critical of him,” the motion reads. “His efforts to suppress critical speech are as well-publicized as they are unsuccessful.”