Trump campaign sues TV station over Democratic super PAC ad
Source: The Hill
Trump campaign sues TV station over Democratic super PAC ad
BY JONATHAN EASLEY - 04/13/20 11:19 AM EDT
President Trumps reelection campaign on Monday filed a defamation lawsuit against a Wisconsin television station for running an ad cut by the liberal super PAC Priorities USA alleging the president called the coronavirus a hoax.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and legal fees from the NBC affiliate, WJFW-NBC of Rhineland, accusing the station of having perpetrated a fraud on the public by recklessly broadcasting [Priorities USAs] defamatory and false advertisement, which WJFW-NBC knew or should have known was produced through the use of technology that depicted a clearly false statement.
{snip}
The local news station did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump campaign sent cease-and-desist letters to WJFW and other TV stations in key battleground states last month warning they would face legal action for running the Priorities USA ad.
Priorities USA, the largest Democratic super PAC, which is backing presumptive nominee former Vice President Joe Biden, has put nearly $7 million behind the ad, which is running in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
{snip}
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/492499-trump-campaign-sues-tv-station-over-democratic-super-pac-ad
HappyGoodFridayHat Retweeted
https://twitter.com/Popehat
The Trump campaign is suing WJFW-NBC of Rhinelander, WI for airing a
@prioritiesUSA
ad it claims is false --
Link to tweet
This lawsuit has next-to-zero chance of succeeding, but it has a great chance of forcing a small local television station to spend a huge amount on lawyers.
Link to tweet
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,828 posts)turbinetree
(24,710 posts)just to really piss off the trumpsters....................ACLU, or how about the SPLC....
abqtommy
(14,118 posts)*Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
more at ink: https://www.citizensforethics.org/
turbinetree
(24,710 posts)saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)These nonprofits depend on our help.
trueblue2007
(17,237 posts)we need someone to show TRUMP the woman hater, racist just what HE REALLY IS !!!!
olddad65
(599 posts)Or anything printed in the NY Times or the Wash Post is fake news or a hoax, yet, as lawsuit crazy as he is, he never sues them. I wonder why that is? Almost makes a person think that they might be telling the truth.
bucolic_frolic
(43,257 posts)Quoting directly is excerpted. Digitally manipulating is changing meaning by snipping, cutting. I would think key to any such claim would be "does the excerpt substantially change the meaning of the original?"
oldsoftie
(12,586 posts)flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)oldsoftie
(12,586 posts)Of course I dont believe them, but I'd like to see the ad and decide for myself.
But if its an ad that simply replays statements that he's made, then tough shit, its totally legal for them to make an ad out of them
LTG
(216 posts)The Washington Post gave the statement regarding calling the corona virus a hoax 4 Pinocchios on two grounds.
First the video was deceptively edited to give the false impression that Trump had called Covid-19 a hoax. Second, that he had not actually called the virus a hoax, but rather the narrative that he failed to react properly to the pandemic.
This conclusion was also reached by Snopes, Politifact, fact-check and other fact checkers.
The lawsuit will claim that because of the above the station knew the ad was deceptive and false, but recklessly ran it anyway. Dont think there is any way they prevail, but such actions have led others to delete tweets or clarify reporting.
In reading and viewing the complete statements I understand how they reach their conclusion. But, having said that, I feel that the literal reading of the word salad does not represent what was meant or intended. It never follows that kind of logic or precision. Why expect it to now?
oldsoftie
(12,586 posts)I mean, we're dealing with TRUMP; he says enough shit that you dont NEED to deceptively edit!!
onenote
(42,747 posts)C_U_L8R
(45,018 posts)He doesn't bother to sue the actual creators. He'd lose that too.
Trump's goal here is to cower the media into submission.
He wants to feel that power.
underpants
(182,868 posts)Sue
Counter sue
Delay
Pick on someone who cant fight you (depends on who owns the station - the whole thing could be a set up)
Publicly punch down
Possibly sue some more for the sport of it
C_U_L8R
(45,018 posts)How did this asshole come to plague this country like an STD that won't go away.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,176 posts)Or running any anti-Trump ad in future for that matter.
llashram
(6,265 posts)called rising knowledge of the virulence and spread of this disease a Democratic Party "hoax" and that "in a few weeks covid-19" would "wash over us".
oldsoftie
(12,586 posts)But it should be against Priorities, not the station.
I'm SICK of seeing these ads that clip statements to make them look like they meant something totally different.
One video thats been around for awhile is of Pelosi talking about how to trick voters by. lying, etc. And people say "She admits the Democrats will lie to get your vote!!!" But the FULL speech shows shes talking about the GOP!!!
Aristus
(66,444 posts)Isn't he on video stating it was a hoax?
underpants
(182,868 posts)and it's the public record.
robbob
(3,537 posts)the Democrats tried to get him on Russia. Then they tried to get him on his perfect call to the Ukraine. And now this is their new hoax.
So, hes saying the Democratic Partys criticism of his handling the Coronavirus outbreak is their new hoax. And they try to make a distinction between calling the virus itself a hoax and calling his response to it a hoax. That kind of fine hair splitting they do whenever Donnie says something stupid as opposed to how they will pounce on ANY ambiguous statement made by a Dem.
Of course, what this fine hair splitting ignores completely is the many, many statements tRump made about the outbreak at around the same time. Totally under control, fifteen case, soon to be zero, gone when the weather warms up, all of which are implicitly indicating he did not believe the Coronavirus was anything to worry about, and that the media was hyping it specifically to hurt the economy and his reelection chances. In other words, a hoax.
But his followers ignore ALL of that, and say he never said the virus (itself) was a hoax.
oldsoftie
(12,586 posts)If not, then tough shit for trump.
TomCADem
(17,390 posts)There are so that quote him to devastating effect.
underpants
(182,868 posts)Uses not just his own words but the public record against him. Well to expose him.
Response to TomCADem (Reply #12)
Stuart G This message was self-deleted by its author.
Maeve
(42,287 posts)Stuart G
(38,439 posts)It was one ad, then another as the two changed I copied the wrong one. My error..sorry this one will be deleted in a moment
hadEnuf
(2,209 posts)Screw that tin-horn dictator.
Bengus81
(6,932 posts)If the Fuhrer could make that happen.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)old territory. My guess is,this is a trial balloon knowing the ownership will cave.
jalan48
(13,881 posts)Thekaspervote
(32,787 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,257 posts)That's all they have to ad, because it's the truth, and everyone including Trump would know what it meant.
Marcuse
(7,505 posts)[link:https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-coronavirus-rally-remark/|
During a Feb. 28, 2020, campaign rally in South Carolina, President Donald Trump likened the Democrats' criticism of his administration's response to the new coronavirus outbreak to their efforts to impeach him, saying "this is their new hoax." During the speech he also seemed to downplay the severity of the outbreak, comparing it to the common flu.
What's False
Despite creating some confusion with his remarks, Trump did not call the coronavirus itself a hoax.
Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)Trump was dismissive of the virus and that the virus and the Democrats' concern and medias coverage of it was a hoax.
He was not clear, at the time, that the virus itself WAS NOT a hoax but that the virus and the rest was a package deal and a hoax.
The cultists have taken it to mean that. I have several Trumpers I know who have said as much.
Trump misspeaks but it is everyone else's fault that they disagree or push back on his comments.
The Magistrate
(95,252 posts)While it is true this cheap thug does not quite speak English like a native, the meaning conveyed by his statement was quite clear. Merely the quoted statement, 'this is their new hoax' takes a good deal of work to claim does not call the spreading viral infection a hoax, that patriots are using to discredit him (and rightly so, for his feckless dereliction and self-puffery in this matter is damnably discrediting). It takes not only a good deal of work to puzzle out any other meaning, but it is pointless work into the bargain.
cp
(6,652 posts)It's a small, independent station owned by Rockfleet Broadcasting which only owns three stations, one in Rhinelander and two in New York.
Way to go, Mob Boss! Sue a small station with no legal fund. Nice thug.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,828 posts)like the ACLU and/or a big law firm with deep pockets takes this on pro bono.
onenote
(42,747 posts)jimmyzvoice
(159 posts)grumpyduck
(6,246 posts)but I would love for that station (or the Super PAC) to make the ad freely available to other stations, and then have hundreds or thousands of stations broadcast it. Let them sue all of them. Ha!
CaptYossarian
(6,448 posts)Northern Wisconsin can handle ONE snowflake.
Rhinelander got more than 9" of snow just last night.
cstanleytech
(26,317 posts)I imagine it will be something along the lines of "Oh shit!!!" followed by claims they do not have to allow the defendants lawyers access and then followed by the case being dismissed with prejudiced and then followed by a claim being filed against Trump.
AZ8theist
(5,487 posts)Get the Traitorous, pathological-lying IMBECILE UNDER OATH and tell the court what he knew and when did he know it. Oh, and while you're at it, ask him and his incest-looking spawn about their recent investments.....as in illegal activity.
Bengus81
(6,932 posts)NonPC
(308 posts)I think Bloomberg needs to put some money and muscle into this legal fight. Show Donnie that independent stations cannot be bullied.
patphil
(6,202 posts)Midnight Writer
(21,787 posts)This will serve as an example to other media not to cross him.
Suit will go nowhere, but will get tied up in Courts and cost the station a ton of money.
Other stations will see this and decide it is not worth it to accept ads against Trump.
GoFundMe?
LiberalFighter
(51,038 posts)Kaiserguy
(740 posts)when you sue without grounds you should have to pay their legal fees. We are talking about Mr. I never pay my bills Trump so they have about as much chance of getting paid as all the different cities Trump has shafted. How many false ads has Trump run and how many more will he run? My guess is that every ad Trump runs is full of shit.
KWR65
(1,098 posts)Is Congress critter Devin Nunes, AKA 'The Milkman' Trumps legal advisor?