“But doubt Hawley will pursue it.”
I think he will. He brought one for the cancellation of his book, and Scarborough’s statements are far worse than having a book contract cancelled.
Every lawyer I know is laughing their butt off over his book lawsuit.
I would welcome Hawley suing Scarborough, and believe he’d have a good chance of success.
Under the “public figure” standard, Hawley would have to prove that Scarborough “acted with actual malice by knowing the falsity or by reckless disregard for the truth.”
That would seem a very feasible standard to meet. Surely Scarborough knew it was false to claim that Hawley used his education “to kill Capitol cops.”
And there is also proof that Scarborough acted with “malice,” based on his locker-room taunts about Hawley’s supposed “little bird hands.”