On Wednesday, after six weeks of testimony and two days of deliberation, Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard came to an end. The jury decided in Depp’s favor, unanimously agreeing that he and his legal team had proven that Heard defamed him in a Washington Post op-ed. Both sides released statements. Depp said the jury “gave me my life back.” Heard, meanwhile, said she was “heartbroken” but “even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women.
The trial was a fog of bizarre and disturbing accusations from both sides. Depp re-aired claims that Heard had left poop in his bed while Heard admitted she hit Depp while on Ambien. Chilling texts Depp had sent about wishing her dead surfaced and Heard claimed that his “smear campaign” had cost her work. She also spoke about receiving “hundreds” of death threats since the trial began.
But when the verdict was announced, the House Judiciary GOP’s oft-raucous Twitter account cheerfully took a side, tweeting a gif of Depp in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, standing on the nest of a ship, wind blowing his long locks, looking triumphant.
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) June 1, 2022
People were more than a little alarmed that a corner of government, one with a terrible track record with women’s rights, was siding with a powerful man who was just awarded millions from a woman who had alleged abuse.
An official government account tweeting a fan gif after an abuse trial we are not in reality https://t.co/e36th1SwAz
— valentin (@gayIittlemiya) June 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/halberdlesbian/status/1532092184840785924
This is what a war on women looks like. https://t.co/GfgEYPtNNZ
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) June 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/Esqueer_/status/1532091908708655104
Tell me that Johnny Depp won through a conservative misogynistic misinformation smear campaign without telling me that Depp won through a conservative misogynistic misinformation smear campaign #DeppVsHeard https://t.co/HpZKnex0FM
— mother of pigeons 😷 (@fightlongdefeat) June 1, 2022
Like it’s so telling how republicans and conservatives are all on his side just because he destroyed Me Too and women coming forward. That man is a democratic voter who threatened to ‘assassinate’ Trump but it doesn’t matter to them. Anything to push an agenda LMFAO https://t.co/O2oiOuCpCG
— CLOSED. (@cocainecross) June 1, 2022
i want the biggest meteor to hit earth right now https://t.co/mcYZFOE752
— Héloïse (@belivetsgloves) June 1, 2022
In case you were under any illusions as to why people were so invested in this case and wanted AH to lose, look at who’s tweeting this. It was always about misogyny. https://t.co/la0BqcsAP5
— Louisa 🌈👭 (@LouisatheLast) June 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/jacksonboaz_/status/1532087076916715520
Some tried to point out to Depp who was on his side.
if the GOP is on your side maybe take a second and consider what your celebrating… https://t.co/Pg1NdRSVZ1
— brit, just tortured (@brittscapes) June 1, 2022
Some joked about Republicans using a movie clip from Disney, who they’d recently made Enemy Number One.
https://twitter.com/katieleebarlow/status/1532096770859311104
Not even their hatred of Disney can top their hatred of women. https://t.co/qniK3fUnK6
— Adam Nathaniel Peck (@adamnpeck) June 1, 2022
Some speculated that the tweet might have come from House Judiciary ranking member Jim Jordan, an infamously bad tweeter.
https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1532084963084013568
And some called out this GOP account as particularly toxic.
The Republican House Judiciary Twitter account is the most disgusting in all of the government. Two weeks ago they circulated edited videos to encourage harassment of abortion storytellers who testified. Now this. They use their reach to harass and vilify women who speak out. https://t.co/e7eB6WqTqn
— Renee Bracey Sherman (@RBraceySherman) June 1, 2022