Trump files $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times.
Newspaper says Trump's lawsuit lacks legal basis and promises to "fearlessly seek the facts"
247 - The New York Times stated on Tuesday (16) that the lawsuit filed against the newspaper by US President Donald Trump “lacks any legitimate legal basis” and, overall, represents an “attempt to stifle and discourage independent journalism.” The report is from the Sputnik agency.
On Monday (15), Trump announced that he had filed a $15 billion lawsuit for defamation and libel against the newspaper, accusing it of maintaining a “method of lying for decades” about his public figure. He also claimed that the publication had become “virtually a mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democratic Party”.
“This lawsuit has no merit. It lacks any legitimate legal claim and is instead an attempt to stifle and discourage independent journalism. The New York Times will not be intimidated by tactics of intimidation. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and to defend the First Amendment right of journalists to ask questions on behalf of the American people,” the newspaper said in a statement.
At the end of April, the US president had already signaled the possibility of a lawsuit against the New York Times, saying that the government was evaluating whether the newspaper could be held liable for "unlawful interference," including in the context of the 2024 presidential election.
Attacks on the press
In July, court records revealed that Trump had filed a lawsuit against media mogul Rupert Murdoch, two Wall Street Journal reporters—Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo—and Dow Jones & Company, over the publication of an alleged letter he wrote to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Following the incident, the White House removed the Wall Street Journal from the media group that would cover Trump's trip to Scotland that month.
