The Republican House Committee on the Judiciary demonstrated their support for actor Johnny Depp by posting a GIF of Depp as the character of Captain Jack Sparrow in the film Curse of the Black Pearl.
The tweet appeared just seconds after the jury ruled that Depp's ex-wife Amber Heard had defamed him in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed.
While many users liked the post, there were also some who were embarassed by it, saying that Depp previously spoke out against Republicans. Others said such a tweet should not have appeared on the official account of the committee.
The Republican House Committee on the Judiciary watches over the administration of justice in federal court as well as federal law enforcement bodies.
Depp won his libel case against ex-wife Amber Heard on 1 June. The jury's verdict was announced following six weeks of trial during which the details of the actors' marriage in 2015-2017 were made public as the sides were presenting evidence in their favour.
58-year-old Depp sued Amber Heard, 36, for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post where she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse (although she did not name Depp directly in her piece). The actor sued her, saying that her allegations had defamed him and damaged his career.