The New York Times Shows How To Handle A Bogus Trump Lawsuit

Unlike CBS and ABC, when Trump came after The New York Times with a $15 billion defamation lawsuit, The Times vowed to fight.

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In what should be viewed as a sign of his growing desperation, Donald Trump filed a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times Company and Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Peter Baker and Michael S. Schmidt, and Penguin Random House.

The lawsuit alleges, “Defendants made numerous other malicious, defamatory, and disparaging claims about President Trump in the Book and the Articles, including about his family, his overwhelming success, his businesses, his acumen, his brand, his wealth, and much more. This is all consistent with the modus operandi of the New York Times and its so-called journalists—a pattern of falsehoods and defamation.”

The lawsuit could have been drafted or dictated by Trump as it goes on for pages and pages with various Trump rants and talking points.

It is another baseless Trump defamation suit against a big media outlet that he wants better coverage from.

However, unlike Paramount (CBS) and Disney (ABC), The New York Times responded by immediately fighting back:

This lawsuit has no merit. It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting. The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.

The New York Times sees Trump’s lawsuit for what it really is.

The Trump lawsuits have never been about defamation. The bogus lawsuits have all been about controlling the press and changing how Trump is covered.

On this issue, the conversation usually turns to press freedom, but when it comes to Trump, the answer is always more personal than ideological, as we will discuss below.