Former President Donald Trump has filed a 'Notice of Intent' to sue CNN for "repeated defamatory statements."
In a recent filing through Washington-based law firm, Ifrah Law, under Florida statute § 770.02, Trump seeks to force the network to "publish a full and fair correction, apology, or retraction" based on published pieces or broadcasts that he says made "false statements" about him.
"I hereby demand on behalf of President Donald Trump that CNN (1) immediately take down the false and defamatory publications, (2) immediately issue a full and fair retraction of the statements identified herein in as conspicuous a manner as they were originally published, and (3) immediately cease and desist from its continued use of 'Big Lie' and 'lying' when describing President Trump's subjective belief regarding the integrity of the 2020 election," reads the letter.
Failure to issue an apology will result in a lawsuit.
"Failure to publish such a correction, apology, or retraction will result in the filing of a lawsuit and damages being sought against you, CNN," reads the document, which was reported by the Daily Caller.
"I have notified CNN of my intent to file a lawsuit over their repeated defamatory statements against me," Trump said in a statement. "I will also be commencing actions against other media outlets who have defamed me and defrauded the public regarding the overwhelming evidence of fraud throughout the 2020 Election. I will never stop fighting for the truth and for the future of our Country!"
The notice accuses CNN of repeatedly airing claims that Trump was "illegitimately elected" in 2016, which went unchallenged. It then accuses the network of 'feeding a narrative' that repeatedly defamed Trump's character leading up to, and after, the 2020 election.
The document then stated that CNN inaccurately branded Trump as a "liar" and likened him to Adolf Hitler and communist leaders by labeling his election fraud claims as the "Big Lie." The network has coined the term "Big Lie" in relation to Trump more than 7,700 times since January 2021, the document said.
"In this instance, President Trump's comments are not lies: He subjectively believes that the results of the 2020 presidential election turned on fraudulent voting activity in several key states," the document said.
The document alleged that the network treats Trump unfairly in comparison to other public figures, including Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, Jussie Smollett and Andrew McCabe. It then argued that the former president's questions about election integrity are legitimate, given that True the Vote reportedly found evidence of illegal, fraudulent votes in states such as Georgia and Arizona. -Daily Caller
Could this be a 2024 election strategy?
via zerohedge