Instagram user sues Trump administration after being barred from Vance events

Amanda McGonigle filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Office of the President, the Secret Service and the director of the Presidential Advance team, alleging she was unlawfully prohibited from attending an event in Maine where Vice President J.D. Vance was speaking, Forbes reported. McGonigle runs the Instagram account @catsonacouch, which has 1.9 million followers.

She said five Secret Service agents approached her and a friend while they waited in line for the Maine event and told them they could not enter because it was a private event and officials knew where they stood. McGonigle wore a shirt that read "J.D. Vance cured my imposter syndrome" to the event.

She also reported being stopped from attending a Vance event in Iowa after registering but receiving no confirmation. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit on Tuesday. McGonigle had announced her intention to sue in a May Instagram post.

The White House and Vance's office have not responded to requests for comment. The Secret Service declined to comment. McGonigle said she plans to attend more of Vance's public events in the coming weeks to express her views as an audience member, including by cheering, booing and wearing clothing with political messages.

Her lawsuit argues there is a credible threat she will be excluded from future events and could face criminal charges without court intervention. It seeks a ruling that the White House violated her First Amendment rights by barring her from past events and an order preventing the Trump administration from blocking her from any future events.