A CAT-themed Instagram troll is suing after claiming armed Secret Service agents blocked her from a JD Vance event.
Amanda McGonigle says she was singled out because of her satirical posts mocking the vice president.
The 37-year-old had registered to attend Vance’s event in Bangor, Maine, where he was speaking about healthcare fraud.
But while waiting in line, McGonigle claims five armed Secret Service agents approached her.
She says they identified her by name and refused to let her inside.
According to her lawsuit, authorities told her, “we know where you stand.”
McGonigle, who runs the Instagram account @catsonacouch, filed the legal action Tuesday against the Office of the President and the Secret Service, NBC News reported.
She claims the Trump administration violated her First Amendment rights by keeping her out of events because of her online criticism.
Her account describes itself as a “petty cat account” that exists “purr-ly to troll the current administration & have more followers than J.D. Vance.”
It has nearly two million followers.
McGonigle launched the account in 2024 after Vance’s old “childless cat ladies” remark resurfaced.
Vance made the comment in 2021 while attacking Kamala Harris and other Democrats.
He later called the statement “one of the dumbest things I ever said” in his new memoir.
McGonigle has used the account to mock Vance with memes, jokes, and other satirical posts.
The account has shared memes about Vance and a couch, as well as mock “Wanted” posters showing him as a suspect in the death of Pope Francis.
She also uses the page for mutual aid efforts with followers she calls her “petty besties.”
“It’s absurd that the Secret Service is wasting their time tracking a satirical cat account on social media,” McGonigle said in a statement released by the ACLU.
“The government can’t exclude me from official vice-presidential events just because I mock people in power on the internet.”
She added, “The Trump administration has routinely retaliated against people exercising their first amendment rights, and this is just the latest example.
“But the first amendment protects our right to criticize the government, and it’s well within my rights to say that I think JD Vance is an unlikeable idiot.”
McGonigle had signed up for the May 14 event in advance, according to the lawsuit.
Vance was appearing with acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling.
The lawsuit says McGonigle followed all instructions sent to guests by the Executive Office of the President.
She also received confirmation from Vance’s office and event materials bearing the White House seal.
But when she arrived, Secret Service agents allegedly told her the event was private.
“Every single sign pointed to this being a public event,” McGonigle wrote in a May Instagram post.
“Either it was a public event as advertised, and I was denied entry because I think J.D. Vance is a sentient jar of mayonnaise, or it was a private event and taxpayer dollars were being used to fund J.D. Vance’s little ‘safe space.’
“Either way, it’s giving lawsuit vibes.”
The ACLU of Maine filed the complaint on McGonigle’s behalf in federal court in Maine.
The lawsuit claims she was barred from the event because of her political views and online speech.
It argues that keeping her out amounted to retaliation and viewpoint discrimination.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16658880/jd-vance-bizarre-legal-battle-cat-troll/
