Trump's suit seeks “accountability for brazen election interference.” I'm not a lawyer but also sounds like they're alleging criminal activity as Trump's outlandish claim would also imply a conspiracy against him. Given that there is no proof of that, or even that Trump's lawyers are interested in seeking evidence, they've alleged that it violates the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, a ludicrous claim that likely won't go anywhere but will cause headaches for Ann Selzer and the Iowa Register.
Given the cost of litigation, we probably won't see a countersuit from Ann Selzer or the Des Moines Register but it's certainly a possibility. Trump's not-so-frivolous lawsuits are going to have a chilling effect on the media landscape, as we've already seen. And when we see such outright capitulation already by ABC (owned by the Disney company) it's more likely than not to succeed.
Source: CNN
New York CNN - President-elect Donald Trump is escalating his legal campaign against media outlets by suing renowned pollster J. Ann Selzer, her polling firm, The Des Moines Register newspaper and its parent company Gannett.
Unlike many of Trump’s legal actions against the press, which often allege defamation, this case alleges violations of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits deception when advertising or selling merchandise.
While the nontraditional claims are unlikely to succeed in court, Trump is using the lawsuit to wage a broadside against what he perceives as left-wing media, mainstream press coverage of elections and the role of pollsters during campaigns. Though he won the 2024 election, Trump alleges the news coverage of Selzer’s poll — published days before the election showing Kamala Harris with a surprising lead in Iowa that didn’t materialize in the vote — was intended to artificially help Democrats during the campaign.
Media experts warned the lawsuit could have a further chilling effect not just on news reporting, but also on political polling. Selzer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN.
The Des Moines Register said in a statement that the newspaper and Selzer had “acknowledged” that the “pre-election poll did not reflect the ultimate margin” of victory and have released the poll’s full data and details, as well as “a technical explanation” from Selzer.
“We stand by our reporting on the matter and believe this lawsuit is without merit,” said Lark-Marie Anton, a spokesperson for the newspaper’s parent company, Gannett/
And it is true that Trump is doing this "not because he wants to," but because he's a fascist. It's what they do. They shut the press up by any means possible and get them to comply.
Trump's MAGA audience is loving his lawsuit though.
