“Nuisance lawsuit given that Rep. Gabbard is a public figure.”
You can’t smear someone with lies even if he or she is a public figure.
Sorry. There is a much higher legal threshhold for slander and libel with public figures, as it should be.
Would you like JimRob to be sued everytime a Democrat gets slammed on this website? We can slam them because they are public figures who open themselves to ridicule and parody by choosing to make their names and faces known. It’s why the media can say so many horrible and untrue things about Trump and Republicans, true, but it is a part of having a robust First Amendment.
That’s where the media got it wrong with Nicholas Sandmann. The media attacked him when he was not seeking individual attention or putting his name out in public and was, in addition, under 18. That’s why he could win huge judgements in court where someone like David Hogg or Greta Thunberg would not. That’s why CNN settled with Sandmann and the other media hit crews will likely settle also.