Trump Files $475M Lawsuit Against CNN  10/04 06:11

   

   NEW YORK (AP) -- Former President Donald Trump on Monday sued CNN, seeking 
$475 million in damages, saying the network had defamed him in an effort to 
short-circuit any future political campaign.

   The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 
focuses primarily on the term "The Big Lie" about Trump's false claims of 
widespread fraud that he says cost him the 2020 presidential election to Joe 
Biden.

   CNN said it had no comment on the lawsuit.

   Trump repeatedly attacked CNN as president, which resonated with his 
conservative followers. He has similarly filed lawsuits against big tech 
companies with little success. His case against Twitter for knocking him off 
its platform following the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection was thrown 
out by a California judge earlier this year.

   Numerous federal and local election officials in both parties, a long list 
of courts, top former campaign staffers and even Trump's own attorney general 
have all said there is no evidence of the election fraud he alleges.

   Trump's lawsuit claims "The Big Lie," a phrase with Nazi connotations, has 
been used in reference to him more than 7,700 times on CNN since January 2021.

   "It is intended to aggravate, scare and trigger people," he said.

   In a statement Monday, Trump suggested that similar lawsuits would be filed 
against other news organizations. And he said he may also bring "appropriate 
action" against the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the 
Capitol by his supporters. The lawsuit comes as he is weighing a potential bid 
for the presidency in 2024.

   New CNN chief Chris Licht privately urged his news personnel in a meeting 
more than three months ago to refrain from using the phrase because it is too 
close to Democratic efforts to brand the former president, according to several 
published reports.