A Los Angeles-based political action committee with a popular podcast sued Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, Wednesday in federal court for allegedly violating its First Amendment rights by blocking the PAC from her Twitter account.
MeidasTouch has a “constitutional right to access Greene’s @mtgreenee Twitter account as part of vigorous public comment and criticism,” according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court. “Greene’s practice of blocking Twitter users she disagrees with is unconstitutional and this suit seeks to redress that wrong.”
An attempt to reach a representative for Greene for comment was unsuccessful after regular business hours.
Greene, who was elected in November after being endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has gained notoriety for making or endorsing controversial comments on school shootings, political violence, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House’s top Republican, on Wednesday condemned Greene’s comments, but declined to take action against her on the eve of a vote forced by Democrats to remove her from the congressional education and budget committees, calling it a a “partisan power grab.”
MeidasTouch, which frequently tweets criticism of Greene, was formed last March by brothers Ben, Brett and Jordan Meiselas, who are connected to the law and the entertainment industry.
Ben is a litigator and civil rights attorney with the Los Angeles firm Geragos & Geragos and represents former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Brett is a video editor and former head of post-production and social media for “Ellen.” Jordan is a marketing supervisor who has run accounts for HBO, the NFL and AT&T.
The brothers’ latest podcast features an interview with former Trump fixer and attorney Michael Cohen, discussing the GOP’s alleged support of right-wing radical groups and the proposed criminal investigations into the ex-president’s financial dealings.
The Meiselas brothers’ suit contends that Greene, “obviously perturbed by MeidasTouch’s criticism of her anti-democratic political views,” has retaliated and “suppressed dissent by excluding — or blocking — MeidasTouch from access to the Twitter account she primarily uses to post her views since being elected to Congress.”
MeidasTouch is seeking damages and a judge’s order forcing Greene to unblock the PAC.