Supporters of US President Donald Trump heckle the media during a campaign rally at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas on Thursday. Photo: AP
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https://scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3033666/donald-trump-threatens-sue-cnn-falsely-advertising United States & Canada
Donald Trump threatens to sue CNN for ‘falsely advertising itself as news organisation’
- Letter from president’s lawyer seeks ‘substantial’ payment to cover damages
- Network’s spokesman calls move a ‘desperate PR stunt’ that ‘doesn’t merit a response’
US President Donald Trump speaking at a rally at the Lake Charles Civic Centre in Louisiana on October 11. Photo: AFP
A lawyer for US President Donald Trump and his re-election campaign has threatened in a letter to sue CNN for what he said was the network’s false advertisements for itself as a news organisation, calling on executives to first discuss an “appropriate resolution” to the matter that would include a “substantial” payment to cover damages.
The letter, dated October 16 and made public on Friday, is the latest threat by Trump to sue a media organisation over what he considers unfair coverage since the launch of his 2016 presidential campaign. No lawsuits have been filed.
“This is nothing more than a desperate PR stunt and doesn’t merit a response,” a CNN spokesman said in an email.
Rebecca Tushnet, a professor of false advertising law at Harvard Law School, said there was “no merit” to the letter’s legal arguments and that she doubted a lawsuit would ever be filed.
The letter was signed by Charles Harder, who has sent similar threats to media organisations on Trump’s behalf.
Last year, Harder suggested Trump would take legal action against The New York Times for an investigative report on his business empire, calling it “highly defamatory”.
Harder also threatened a libel lawsuit over Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by author Michael Wolff, a book that portrayed an inept president in a fumbling White House.
Trump has frequently lashed out at CNN and other news organisations, calling them “fake news” and “the enemy of the people”.
On November 7, 2018, the day after congressional elections, Trump erupted into anger during a news conference when CNN’s White House correspondent Jim Acosta questioned him both about the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election and a migrant caravan travelling through Mexico.
The White House suspended Acosta’s White House credentials later that day, alleging Acosta had put his hands on an intern who was trying to take a microphone from him. Videos of the encounter show Acosta pulling back as the intern moved to take the microphone.
The White House later restored Acosta’s access, ending a lawsuit brought by CNN challenging the revocation as a violation of the reporter’s constitutional rights. A federal judge had issued a temporary ruling in CNN’s favour.