Posted on 04/13/2020 8:20:03 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. today filed a lawsuit against WJFW-NBC of Rhinelander, WI for defamation in the wake of an advertisement carried by the station that contained intentionally false and defamatory statements about President Trump.
The ad produced by Priorities USA, a super PAC supporting Joe Biden’s candidacy, and broadcast by WJFW-NBC, used digitally manipulated clips of President Trump’s voice to fabricate unsubstantiated meaning in the President’s words. The suit, filed in Price County, WI circuit court, followed a cease-and-desist letter and supporting documentation sent on March 25, 2020. In spite of the letter and documentation, WJFW-NBC continued to run the defamatory ad.
“It is disappointing that WJFW-NBC would knowingly continue to broadcast this blatantly false ad and perpetrate falsehoods on the American people, even after the Trump campaign provided proof in good faith of the ad’s falsity,” said Jenna Ellis, Senior Legal Adviser to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. “We fully expected the station would recognize their error and immediately cease under their FCC obligations. The Trump campaign is now left with no other option than to use the force of law to ensure these false and defamatory ads cease. Defamation law helps ensure that news outlets are accountable to viewers, who should be able trust the accuracy and truth of content aired to the public.”
The Priorities USA ad took different audio clips from President Trump and spliced them together, deceptively manipulating them into an entirely new sentence and adding misleading subtitles to create a statement the President never uttered: “The coronavirus, this is their new hoax.” As is clear from his full remarks, President Trump was referring to the Democrats’ politicization of the coronavirus crisis and likening it to their reaction to the Mueller Russia hoax and the sham impeachment. He has never said that the virus itself was a hoax.
Numerous popular fact checkers and news reporters have declared the mischaracterization of the President’s remarks to be false:
Slate’s Will Saletan: “He was saying the hoax is that he's handled it badly. Not the virus itself.”
CheckYourFact: “Trump referred to the alleged ‘politicizing’ of the coronavirus by Democrats as ‘their new hoax.’ He did not refer to the coronavirus itself as a hoax. Throughout the speech, Trump reiterates his administration is taking the threat of the coronavirus seriously.”
CBS 60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley: “He said the—the Democrats making so much of it is a Democratic hoax, not that the virus was a hoax.”
Snopes: “Trump did not call the coronavirus itself a hoax.”
The Washington Post: “The full quote shows Trump is criticizing Democratic talking points and the media’s coverage of his administration’s response to coronavirus. He never says that the virus itself is a hoax[.]” (Highest falsehood rating of Four Pinocchios.)
PolitiFact: “The video makes it seem like Trump is calling the disease itself a hoax, which he hasn’t done.”
The President’s campaign is seeking unspecified monetary damages and legal fees.
good
About time.
Very much.
W. would have done nothing.
Time to stop the Liberal lies.
The very same Scott Pelley who was FIRED as anchor of The CBS News for being so virulent anti-Trump and lying to his audience, Oh, that one.
W. Thank-you Sir, may I have another.
Finally!!
The ad has been running for weeks in the swing states. I have seen it at least 8 times. Slick and damning. A lie but the half informed have no idea. Soros paid at least 12 million to run them.
Sums him up very well.
Catching lies on a small TV station up in God’s Country.
A good sign that the Trump Rapid Response Team is on top of its game!
Good. I love it when he goes on offense like this. His legal team gave them a chance to end it properly and they ignored it, so it came to a lawsuit.
It’s a shame that the FCC doesn’t step in and threaten to yank their license rather than just the suit hitting them with “unspecified monetary damages and legal fees.”
Scott Pelley = Fredo
Soros and the rest of them will just pay whatever the fine is, and keep right on coming up with fake anti Trump ads.
They don't care what the cost is, as long as they beat Trump in November.
If we had common sense licensing and regulations on Commercial Speech, this could be dealt with easily.
I have seen in 3x in the past week in Palm Beach County.
FCC should pull their broadcast license.
I think Soros/DNC spent more then 12 million, a lot more. It is a full blitz. Dr Doom basically corroborated the premise on CNN yesterday which match up with Pelosi and Schmukie. There are no coincidences.
I think I saw that piece of crap at least 30 or 40 times before our election in Wisconsin, pi$$ed me off every time.
These ads have a enormous impact on idiots. Take a look at social media,news media and day time talk and one will hear the regurgitated lie after lie that started as an ad and snowballs into what many perceive as TRUTH no matter what you counter with. Trust me,I have tried to argue with liberals. It is IMPOSSIBLE.
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