Trump campaign files libel suit against New York Times over Russia story
- Lawsuit alleges that newspaper knowingly published false statements related to investigation of Moscow’s interference in 2016 election
- President has claimed in the past that The Times is biased against him, and called elements of US news media ‘the enemy of the American people’
US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign said on Wednesday it had filed a libel lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the newspaper of intentionally publishing a false story last year related to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
In an escalation of the Republican president’s long-running battle with the news media, campaign officials said the lawsuit was being filed in the New York State Supreme Court, the state’s trial-level court.
A statement from the campaign said the aim of the litigation was to “hold the news organisation accountable for intentionally publishing false statements against President Trump’s campaign”.
The lawsuit relates to a March 27, 2019, opinion article written by Max Frankel, who served as executive editor of The Times from 1986 to 1994.
A draft copy of the suit, attached to a campaign news release, accused the newspaper of “extreme bias against [the campaign] and animosity” and cited what it called The Times’ “exuberance to improperly influence the presidential election in November 2020”. Trump is seeking re-election on November 3.