Trump threatens to sue CNN, ‘other media outlets’ for dismissing voter fraud claims

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, Texas (AA) - Former President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to sue CNN and "other media outlets" for dismissing his voter fraud claims during the 2020 US presidential election.

“I have notified CNN of my intent to file a lawsuit over their repeated defamatory statements against me,” Trump said in a letter released by his attorney, Jim Trusty.

“I will also be commencing actions against other media outlets who have defamed me and defrauded the public regarding the overwhelming evidence of fraud throughout the 2020 election," he said.

The 282-page letter, dated July 21, was sent to CNN CEO Chris Licht demanding that the cable news network "immediately take down the false and defamatory publications" and issue retractions.

“Without regard for President Trump’s genuine belief in his statements, CNN has published numerous articles characterizing him as a “liar” and the purveyor of the “Big Lie,” the letter continues.

Prior to this, Trump filed dozens of lawsuits after the 2020 election claiming widespread voter fraud in his loss to Joe Biden, despite the former president repeatedly losing court case after court case regarding his false claims of election fraud, in some cases by judges appointed by Trump himself.

The letter cites dozens of examples from CNN, many relating to the network’s coverage of the former president's repeated claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. It says CNN frequently used terms about Trump, referring to his claims as “lies,” “false narratives” and “baseless theories.”

The letter also argues that CNN rushed to label Trump as a liar and "consistently fed a narrative that denounced President Trump's legitimacy and competency" and that the cable news network treated Trump worse than other public figures found to be dishonest, mentioning actor Jussie Smollett, who falsely claimed he was the victim of a hate crime.​​​​​​​

Some of the articles cited in the lawsuit tie Trump's rhetoric to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Other references came after the 2016 election, in which commentary on CNN by various Democrats asserted that Russian interference played a role in getting Trump elected. US intelligence agencies have established that Russia did interfere in the 2016 election.

Various news outlets have routinely referred to Trump’s claims about the 2020 election as “baseless” or “lies,” but the former president has had a longstanding feud with CNN, often referring to their coverage as "fake news."

"I will never stop fighting for the truth and for the future of our Country!” Trump said in his letter.