New Trump lawsuit says Facebook is a state actor, bound by the First Amendment.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

22. This is a fundraising gimmick

I agree with Steve Benen

Link to tweet

Complicating matters just a bit more, there have been related cases along these lines, and they've all failed: private social-media companies are not arms of the government, judges have ruled, and they have the authority to regulate content. Similarly, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects companies from such lawsuits, still exists, Trump's incessant whining about the provision notwithstanding.

So why bother? Why go through the motions with a misguided public-relations stunt, rooted entirely in dubious claims and conspiracy theories that don't make any sense?

There's no great mystery here: "Before Mr. Trump was done speaking, both the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee had sent text messages about the lawsuit and asked for contributions. Mr. Trump's political action committee sent its own solicitation shortly after the event ended. 'Donate NOW,' it said."

I don't doubt that many will fall for this. Republican voters who've been conditioned to believe that Twitter and Facebook are big meanies toward conservatives will likely grab their credit cards to show their support for Trump and this pointless exercise.

But that doesn't mean this lawsuit has merit; it means the opposite