We may all be gnashing our teeth over The New York Times sanewashing Donald Trump. But as far the very thin-skinned felon and his band of First Amendment-hating legal toadies are concerned, the paper’s coverage as well as a Penguin Random House book written by two Times authors have defamed him to the tune of $10 billion.
From Columbia Journalism Review:
[The letter demanding $10 billion] singles out two stories coauthored by Buettner and Craig that related to their book on Trump and his financial dealings, Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, released on September 17. It also highlighted an October 20 story headlined “For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment” by Baker and an October 22 piece by Schmidt, “As Election Nears, Kelly Warns Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator.”
“There was a time, long ago, when the New York Times was considered the ‘newspaper of record,’” the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by CJR, reads. “Those halcyon days have passed.” It accuses the Times of being “a full-throated mouthpiece of the Democratic Party” that employs “industrial-scale libel against political opponents.”
That letter was sent before the November 5th election, author Lachlan Cartwright pointed out. Ditto for the $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News because Felon 45/47 thought its 60 Minutes interview was edited in a way that was too favorable toward Kamala Harris. Although Trump lives in Florida and CBS is based in New York, the suit was filed in MAGA world’s favorite district in Texas.
Team “Dictator On Day One” also filed an FEC complaint against The Washington Post, on October 31, accusing the paper of making “illegal in-kind contributions” to the Kamala Harris campaign through ads promoting the paper’s journalism. That complaint was filed after Jeff Bezos killed The Post’s intended editorial endorsement of Harris. Heckuva job, Mr. B!
CJR also noted that Trump campaign co-chief Chris LaCivita is threatening to sue The Daily Beast over a story suggesting he milked the campaign for millions.
Not one of these actions have any apparent legal merit. But that’s not the point. The point is to chill negative coverage of President P***y Grabber before it happens and to punish it afterward. “The drumbeat of legal threats signals a potentially ominous trend for journalists during Trump’s second term in office,” Cartwright wrote. “Litigation is costly and time-consuming. Most news organizations will look to settle rather than face months—more likely years—of discovery and depositions, plus significant legal fees.”
It's especially striking that instead of coming up with an actual plan to improve Obamacare or anything else that would improve the lives of everyday Americans, Trump started this attack on The First Amendment even before he was elected, much less sworn into office. It’s further evidence, along with his unqualified picks to head departments designed to keep Americans safe, that Trump has already proved he’s only looking out for himself and his billionaire bros.
