Political influencer sues after she was barred from JD Vance event in Bangor
Vice President JD Vance greets the crowd before making remarks during an appearance at Bangor International Airport on May 14. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
A Massachusetts woman who runs a political Instagram account “to troll the current administration” and has “more followers than JD Vance” has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was unfairly barred from the vice president’s Bangor event in May.
Amanda McGonigle, who runs the Instagram account @CatsOnACouch, filed the suit Tuesday. She alleges that the U.S. Secret Service and Executive Office of the President violated her First Amendment rights when denying her access to the rally in Bangor.
McGonigle registered to attend the event as an audience member, received confirmation and was waiting in line when Secret Service officers approached her and “excluded her from the event, telling her that ‘we know where you stand,’” according to the complaint filed in Maine’s U.S. District Court. Her friend was also told to leave.
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McGonigle filed the lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, according to a news release from the group. She created her Instagram account, which has nearly 2 million followers, in 2024 after Vance’s viral comment criticizing “childless cat ladies.”
According to the complaint, McGonigle had also been excluded from a vice presidential event in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier that month.
“Ms. McGonigle uses her platform to criticize and satirize elected officials, using humor to garner support for causes important to her and inform her followers about political developments,” ACLU of Maine staff attorney Anahita Sotoohi said in a statement Tuesday. “The freedom to mock has been a central tenet of American political discourse since the founding. The First Amendment cannot be revoked just because one of the country’s most powerful people can’t take a joke.”
A White House spokesperson did not provide a comment on the lawsuit by a Wednesday afternoon deadline.
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Tagged: ACLU, ACLU of Maine, bangor maine, JD Vance
Morgan covers breaking news and public safety for the Portland Press Herald. Before moving to Maine in 2024, she reported for Michigan State University's student-run publication, as well as the Indianapolis. More by Morgan Womack
