Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch used Peanut the Squirrel as an example of government overreach at the Federalist Society’s annual dinner.
“I’ve just seen too many cases like that. You have just the other day, some of you might have seen one in the newspaper, if the newspapers are to be believed,” Gorsuch told the crowd of conservative legal minds packed into the Washington Hilton’s ballroom.“Yes, I’m speaking of P’nut the squirrel,” Gorsuch continued.—Gorsuch went on to joke there’s “maybe a sordid side” of P’nut’s tale, referencing reports that the squirrel’s owner has an OnlyFans account.“[It] may contain a website that’s called ‘just for fans,’” Gorsuch said. “I don’t know the details. I’m not aware of any allegation that P’nut was involved in any of those acts.”
Hey, let’s not forget Fred the Raccoon!
Peanut enjoyed attention on social media for the past seven years thanks to his owners Mark and Daniela Longo.
Peanut and Fred became national news just before the election when the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) snatched them from their owners.
Four state agencies and a judge signed off on the warrant.
The Longos said the police treated them like criminals as they raided the house:
“Peanut was the best thing that ever happened to us,” Longo told TMZ, with his wife by his side.“It not only tears my family apart, but Peanut was the cornerstone of our non-profit animal rescue,” he added. “And ten to twelve DEC officers raided my house as if I was a drug dealer. I sat outside my house for five hours. I had to get a police escort to my bathroom. I wasn’t even allowed to feed my rescue horses breakfast or lunch. I sat there like a criminal after they interrogated my wife to check her immigration status.”An Instagram account dedicated to Peanut has over 565,000 followers. Asked why the DEC targeted him and his wife, Longo said they don’t “have a clue.”“We have no idea who made the complaints. Again, Peanut was an indoor squirrel, not harming anybody. He’s been with us for seven years. Not a single complaint was ever filed,” he added.
It was never about rabies.
Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss admitted both animals tested negative for rabies.
The government marked them for death before the raid:
“Results are negative,” Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss told The Post Tuesday.A newly revealed timeline shows state officials advised the county to euthanize the pets a full seven days before they were taken from their unofficial caretaker Mark Longo on Oct. 30 — even though the Department of Environmental Conservation later said the squirrel bit an agent during the raid, sparking the need for the test.“Wildlife cannot be confined like domestic animals, and if there was an exposure, the animals would need to be tested for rabies,” the State Department of Health wrote the county on Oct. 23 — a message that all but sealed the animals’ fates, as rabies tests require decapitation so subjects’ heads can be opened and their brains sampled.Days later on Oct. 29 the DEC had laid their plans to raid Longo’s home, but the DEC was also already coordinating the animals’ euthanizations with Elmira Animal Control, the county’s timeline shows — directly contradicting their previous explanation that P’Nut had prompted his own euthanization.“I’m in utter shock,” Longo told The Post when shown the timeline. “I’d like to give you a proper statement, but for now I’ll just say ‘Wow.’”
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