President-elect Donald Trump has intensified his legal assault on the media, filing multiple lawsuits seeking damages for what he claims are false or misleading reports.
Trump has also leveraged civil anti-fraud laws, aiming to circumvent the typically high legal barriers in defamation cases involving public figures, reports Reuters.
Legal experts believe this broad approach could serve to punish media outlets for critical coverage and force them to face financial consequences.
One of the most high-profile cases involves The Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer, filed in Iowa state court.
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The lawsuit stems from a pre-election poll that showed Kamala Harris leading Trump by 3 percentage points in Iowa. Trump, who ultimately won the state by a wide margin, accuses the newspaper and Selzer of “brazen election interference,” alleging they manipulated the poll and leaked it to Democratic operatives before publication.
While the Register acknowledged that the poll did not reflect the final election outcome, they stand by their reporting and consider the lawsuit without merit. Trump’s legal team is seeking unspecified damages and demands an injunction to prevent deceptive practices related to the poll.
The lawsuit also targets Gannett, the parent company of The Des Moines Register, and accuses it of violating Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act.
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