‘He shouldn’t be whining here’: Devin Nunes’ SLO event draws small — but lively — protest

Central Valley Congressman Devin Nunes’ private Republican fundraiser Friday evening in Pismo Beach drew protesters — albeit, just a few.

About 10 people stood at the intersection of Thousand Hills and Price Canyon roads outside of the fundraiser venue, holding signs and ringing cow bells. Some drivers in cars passing by honked in support. One passenger in a car turning toward the venue chanted “USA” out the window at the protestors.

Protest organizer Bryce Engstrom said he wasn’t happy with the turnout, but thought most passing people’s response to the protest was positive.

Eric Siemens wore a cow suit he bought specifically for the demonstration, in reference to Nunes’ lawsuit against parody Twitter account Devin Nunes’ Cow. Siemens said wearing a cow suit was the only thing he could think of that was as ridiculous as the lawsuit.

Husband and wife Ann and Dennis Tapper said they hadn’t protested since the 1960s, but think people need to start speaking up.

“I think this man is complicit in every rotten thing Trump does for this country and this world,” Ann Tapper said. “And he can’t get money in his own district, so why does he think he can come to our county?”

Cheryl Storton said she doesn’t think Nunes is doing his job.

“He doesn’t pay any attention to his constituents,” Storton said. “He’s cowardly and pathetic. Such a whiner, and then he comes to our county. He shouldn’t be whining here.”

The San Luis Obispo County Republican Party, one of the event’s organizers, did not respond to an email asking for comment. Organizers tried to keep information about the event under wraps, asking those attending to not share its location on social media.

But Devin Nunes’ Cow divulged its location on Twitter.

Nunes’ lawsuits, previous event ‘security’ issues

A former dairy farmer, Cal Poly alum and one of President Trump’s most loyal defenders, Nunes has been a polarizing figure in Congress, where he has served most of eastern Fresno, as well as Clovis, Tulare and Visalia since 2003.

In April, Nunes also filed a defamation lawsuit against McClatchy, which owns The Tribune, over a 2018 Fresno Bee news article about a lawsuit against Alpha Omega Winery. The winery is owned by San Luis Obispo attorney Robin Baggett. The Bee story detailed alleged prostitution and drug use during a 2015 charity event on a yacht owned by the winery.

McClatchy calls the lawsuit baseless and without merit.

He was scheduled to speak in front of the Fresno County Republican Party in April, an event that was canceled after multiple social media posts urged people to disrupt the event, according to The Fresno Bee.

The event organizer, the Fresno Republican Party, cited “security reasons” as the motivation for canceling the event in a tweet.

Nunes has declined his number of public appearances in his district in recent years. The group “The Watch” has gathered at Nunes’ office weekly since 2016 to protest the representative’s lack of public appearances, among other issues.

This story was originally published June 28, 2019 at 6:25 PM.