Overview
- Amanda McGonigle, who runs the CatsOnACouch accounts, filed a federal complaint on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Maine saying she was unlawfully denied entry to vice presidential events because of her satirical criticism of J.D. Vance.
- The suit alleges that at a May 14 event in Bangor she was singled out in line by armed Secret Service officers who told her “we know where you stand” and then said the gathering was private despite her receiving official confirmation and event materials with White House markings.
- McGonigle also says she was prevented from attending a May 5 Vance event in Des Moines after registering, and her lawyers argue the events were taxpayer-funded official appearances that cannot exclude people for their views.
- The ACLU is representing McGonigle and is asking a judge to declare the exclusions viewpoint discrimination and to issue an injunction stopping the Secret Service and the administration from barring her from future vice-presidential events.
- The Secret Service declined to comment and the White House had not responded to requests for comment, while the case highlights broader questions about how security screening, public-event classification, and viewpoint enforcement intersect for political critics.