U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen, a Democrat representing Tennessee’s Ninth Congressional District, will no longer block people from seeing his Twitter page, because to do otherwise could put him in legal jeopardy.
But Cohen still reportedly won’t allow his critics or people he accuses of harassing him — people he described as “Twitter terrorists” — to have full access to his Twitter.
“You can mute people, so I’ve been doing a whole lot of muting,” Cohen reportedly said.
This, according to The Memphis Commercial Appeal. A federal court ruled that elected officials who block people on Twitter are possibly acting against the First Amendment. The judge in that matter directed that ruling at U.S. Republican President Donald Trump.
But Cohen seemed to know the same rules would likely apply to him.
“In the past, I have blocked people, not from my district. I’ve tried assiduously to avoid blocking people from my district no matter how rude, crude or socially unacceptable their tweets may have been,” Cohen reportedly told The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“But, when it did get to the Court of Appeals … I decided the best thing to do is go ahead and accept that court’s ruling that it’s a public forum and unblock everybody. I unblocked everybody.”
Cohen blocked a Tennessee Star reporter from seeing his Twitter feed five years ago after that reporter published a story critical of him on the now extinct Tennessee Watchdog. On Monday, the reporter verified Cohen had unblocked him.
Members of Cohen’s office did not return The Star’s request for comment last week as to whether anyone has sued him for blocking people on Twitter. The Star also wanted to know how many people Cohen has blocked on Twitter and whether he would reconsider his policy of blocking people.
According to The Star last year, Cohen blocked the account of Twitter user Sean Spicier, a parody account and a play on the name of President Donald Trump’s former White House communications front man Sean Spicer.
At the time, Spicier mocked Cohen’s endorsement of Beto O’Rourke, who, at the time, wanted Ted Cruz’ Texas U.S. Senate seat.
Other people, including an author at Twitchy.com, complained Cohen blocked her for criticizing his on-the-job rhetoric.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
How ironic, Tennesseans have been muting you for years now you moron.