A Florida court filing from Monday shows that Donald Trump has sued CNN for defamation and is asking for punitive damages of $475 million. The US cable news station tried to hurt the reputation of the former US president by calling him names like “racist,” “Russian lackey,” “insurrectionist,” and finally “Hitler,” according to Trump’s lawyers. The lawsuit has been filed in Fort Lauderdale’s federal court.
“CNN has tried to use its huge influence, supposedly as a “trusted” news source, to defame the plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers in order to defeat him politically,” the filing says. Trump said that CNN, which is a major news organization, had used its power to hurt him politically. CNN didn’t say anything about the case.
Trump, who is a Republican, says in the 29-page lawsuit that CNN has been critical of him for a long time, but that the attacks have gotten worse in recent months because CNN is afraid he will run for president again in 2024.
“CNN has tried to smear the plaintiff as part of its effort to shift the political balance to the left,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit lists several times when CNN seemed to compare Donald Trump to Hitler. For example, host Fareed Zakaria did a special report in January 2022 that included footage of Hitler. Trump lost his re-election bid in 2020 to Democrat Joe Biden. He hasn’t said for sure if he will run again, but he has given many hints in that direction.
Donald Trump sues CNN, claiming defamation and seeking more than $475 million in damages. Filed in federal court in Florida
Suit: https://t.co/1yZuyYVfrq
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) October 3, 2022
The 76-year-old former president is already in a lot of legal trouble. For example, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) is looking into whether he broke the law by keeping government records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after he leaves office in January 2021.
Actual language from Trump's lawsuit against CNN:
"No matter how lovely a voice she may have, [Linda] Ronstadt is a singer, not a historian. The interview is merely a pretext to repeat CNN’s message under the guise of real 'reporting.' " pic.twitter.com/Swznjt6y93
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) October 3, 2022
Leticia James, the attorney general of New York, filed a lawsuit against Trump last month. She said that he had lied to banks and insurance companies about the value of his assets. And both a congressional committee and the DoJ are looking into the attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6 of last year.
He is also being sued by the writer E. Jean Carroll, who says he raped her.
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