Judge tosses Devin Nunes’ defamation suit against GOP strategist 'for being mean to him on Twitter'

Rep. Devin Nunes' (R-Calif.) second defamation lawsuit filed against a Republican strategist has been dismissed by a Virginia judge.

According to The Fresno Bee, Nunes accused Republican political strategist Liz Mair of being responsible for spreading defamatory information about him during the time prior to his 2018 re-election campaign.

However, Judge John Marshall found otherwise. According to Marshall, Nunes and his legal team failed to provide substantial evidence to confirm that Mair had "entered a conspiratorial agreement to slander him."

The publication reports that Marshall's dismissal ruling reads "that Nunes' complaint failed to describe the exact words Mair used to defame him, that the statements Nunes alleged Mair made were not defamatory and that 'the facts alleged fail to support a reasonable inference that Mair made any of the alleged statements with the requisite intent of actual malice.'"

The latest ruling follows the dismissal of Nunes' first lawsuit against Mair and The Fresno Bee's parent company, McClatchy. That suit was dismissed by Judge Claude V. Worrell Jr. in Albemarle County Circuit Court. Although McClatchy was dropped from that suit, Nunes is reportedly planning to appeal the ruling dismissing Mair.

In wake of the latest ruling, Mair has spoken out about the years-long court battle with the Reublican lawmaker.

"It is ridiculous that we have had a sitting United States congressman suing a fake farmyard animal, let alone me, for being mean to him on Twitter, which the First Amendment clearly protects," Mair said. "It is also extremely disturbing that Rep. Nunes has, on my read, appeared to use litigation as a cudgel to try to stifle free speech in such a wanton manner."