Trump campaign sues TV station over Democratic super PAC ad

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: The Hill

Trump campaign sues TV station over Democratic super PAC ad

BY JONATHAN EASLEY - 04/13/20 11:19 AM EDT

President Trump’s 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 USA’s] 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

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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]

1. I hope they get the ACLU or some other legal defense outfit involved.

[turbinetree]

2. There has got to be firm that will do this for free.............

just to really piss off the trumpsters....................ACLU, or how about the SPLC....

[abqtommy]

25. C.R.E.W.* might get into it too. They do good work.

*Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
more at ink: https://www.citizensforethics.org/

[turbinetree]

46. Think I will do the same, thank you, I had forgotten about CREW

[saidsimplesimon]

27. Thanks for the reminder to send a donation.

These nonprofits depend on our help.

[trueblue2007]

37. we need A WHISTLEBLOWER who will show THE BAD PARTS, parts that Trump hates

we need someone to show TRUMP the woman hater, racist just what HE REALLY IS !!!!

[olddad65]

3. Interesting. It seems that everyday, trumputin claims everything on CCN, or MSNBC...

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]

4. Countersue for defamation by lawsuit

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]

10. Yes, i want to see the ad. And see whats "manipulated"

[flibbitygiblets]

43. Why would anything need to be manipulated? What we all saw and heard is damning all by itself

[oldsoftie]

47. Because thats what the lawsuit says. And if true, it WOULD be wrong.

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]

50. Biden's campaign ran a extremely similar editing

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. Don’t 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]

51. Thanks, I'll have to look that up. And i just HATE when politicians do that crap

I mean, we're dealing with TRUMP; he says enough shit that you dont NEED to deceptively edit!!

[onenote]

40. Statements made in lawsuits are privileged and cannot be the basis of a defamation suit.

[C_U_L8R]

5. It's intimidation of the media

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]

6. It's also his MO going back to Roy Cohn

Sue
Counter sue
Delay
Pick on someone who can’t 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]

8. Ick. Trump is so gross.

How did this asshole come to plague this country like an STD that won't go away.

[LiberalLovinLug]

28. Yes. This is probably targeted more on any future stations that are considering running this,

Or running any anti-Trump ad in future for that matter.

[llashram]

7. this potus

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]

9. I'd like to see the "manipulated audio'. Because if thats legit, they have a case.

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]

11. How soon before the case gets tossed?

Isn't he on video stating it was a hoax?

[underpants]

14. He's on record saying all of it

and it's the public record.

[robbob]

34. He's on video stating that

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, he’s saying the Democratic Party’s 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]

54. But the lawsuit says the clips were "manipulated'. Which would change things.

If not, then tough shit for trump.

[TomCADem]

12. Which Ad is complaining about?

There are so that quote him to devastating effect.

[underpants]

13. Yes

Uses not just his own words but the public record against him. Well to expose him.

[Maeve]

20. That is a 23 minute video, not a 30 second ad

[Stuart G]

22. I was wrong .. looking at two at the same time, got the wrong one in the process.

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]

15. So the Orange Asshole gets to decide what's true or false?

Screw that tin-horn dictator.

[Bengus81]

53. Yep.."I approved this ad" by Trump MUST be on Democratic ads

If the Fuhrer could make that happen.

[Wellstone ruled]

16. This is Sean Duffy's

old territory. My guess is,this is a trial balloon knowing the ownership will cave.

[jalan48]

17. Will Trump's stacked courts support him on this?

[Thekaspervote]

18. Two words devin nunes

[bucolic_frolic]

21. This ad not manufactured in Ukraine

That's all they have to ad, because it's the truth, and everyone including Trump would know what it meant.

[Marcuse]

23. Let the Discovery begin!

[link:https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-coronavirus-rally-remark/|

What's True
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]

29. Trump was suitably vague and inarticulate when he talked about that.

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]

48. Snopes, Sir, Tied Itself Into a Knot On That One, Sir

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]

24. Hey! this is MY station (northern Wisconsin)

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]

26. That's exactly why it was chosen. I hope some big organization

like the ACLU and/or a big law firm with deep pockets takes this on pro bono.

[onenote]

41. I suspect NBC will support their defense.

[jimmyzvoice]

30. Is this the Ad we are talking about?

[grumpyduck]

31. Sorry if this has already been mentioned,

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]

32. Don't worry.

Northern Wisconsin can handle ONE snowflake.

Rhinelander got more than 9" of snow just last night.

[cstanleytech]

33. I look forward to how Trumps lawyers respond during the discovery phase.

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]

45. My thoughts exactly..

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]

35. Look for these SNOWFLAKES to do this over and over.........

[NonPC]

36. Where is Bloomsberg??

I think Bloomberg needs to put some money and muscle into this legal fight. Show Donnie that independent stations cannot be bullied.

[patphil]

38. The station is an NBC affiliate, they'll get some help with the cost of defending the 1st Amendment.

[Midnight Writer]

39. A SLAPP lawsuit designed to harass. He is hoping to hurt the station financially with legal fees.

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]

42. Trump should be forced to pay the legal fees of the tv station.

[Kaiserguy]

44. He should have to

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]

49. I'll huff and I'll puff and I will blow down your brick house.

Is Congress critter Devin Nunes, AKA 'The Milkman' Trumps legal advisor?

[Gothmog]

52. This will be a fun lawsuit to follow