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Trump Abuses Power to Bully Media (Sues Des Moine Register)

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by gator_jo, Dec 17, 2024 at 10:48 AM.

  1. gator_jo

    gator_jo GC Hall of Fame

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    So a reputable polling firm apparently did a poor job on a poll, and Trump wants to sue them? This from the man who spent 4 years literally lying about fake election fraud, and who encouraged media outlets to do the same. (Said media outlets are of course paying settlements of various amounts, up to appx $800 million, for knowingly and intentionally lying.)

    This is completely transparent; just the vile attempt of Trump to bully media outlets, and the implicit threat that he will use presidential power and/or favor against them as needed. Yup; we citizens are giving him, and paying for, the right to threaten media outlets that are unfavorable to him. (We can presume that the ones who lie for him will be OK.)

    How un-American is this? This is just the latest vile un-American act from a criminal. It's not surprising that a criminal would behave this way, but it's fascinating that we're literally enabling him to do so. I guess, by "we", I mean the "patriots" and "people of values" who voted for him. But hey, they like his "policies", and he lied to them that the price of eggs would go down....

    Who ever knew that we could expect such un-American behavior from someone who enacted a criminal conspiracy to overturn an election? Good game, America.




    Trump sues Des Moines Register and top pollster over final Iowa survey

    New YorkCNN —
    President-elect Donald Trump is escalating his legal campaign against media outlets by suing renowned pollster J. Ann Selzer, her polling firm, The Des Moines Register newspaper and its parent company Gannett.

    Unlike many of Trump’s legal actions against the press, which often allege defamation, this case alleges violations of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits deception when advertising or selling merchandise.

    While the nontraditional claims are unlikely to succeed in court, Trump is using the lawsuit to wage a broadside against what he perceives as left-wing media, mainstream press coverage of elections and the role of pollsters during campaigns. Though he won the 2024 election, Trump alleges the news coverage of Selzer’s poll — published days before the election showing Kamala Harris with a surprising lead in Iowa that didn’t materialize in the vote — was intended to artificially help Democrats during the campaign.

    Media experts warned the lawsuit could have a further chilling effect not just on news reporting, but also on political polling. Selzer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN.

    https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/17/media/trump-lawsuit-des-moines-register-ann-selzer-poll/index.html
     
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  2. sierragator

    sierragator GC Hall of Fame

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    Consistent with his rants about the media being the enemy of the people. Any news he does not like or that casts him in an unfavorable light is treason is his mind. He'd shut them down and lock them up if he could.
     
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  3. ursidman

    ursidman VIP Member

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    Yeah, this is laughable. I’m just a poor country hick but the suit represents a position that is flagrantly un-Constitutional to me. 1st amendment y’all?

    Designed to intimidate. Typical trump.
     
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  4. PetrolGator

    PetrolGator Lawful Neutral Premium Member

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    If Biden were to pull this stunt, I’d be calling it out. My standards don’t change based on who is abusing their power.
     
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  5. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

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    ABC showing their tummy seems to have emboldened them, who would have thought?
     
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  6. Trickster

    Trickster VIP Member

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    I was shocked ABC settled, and for so much.
     
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  7. WarDamnGator

    WarDamnGator GC Hall of Fame

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    He should sue Trafalgar, Rassmussen, and Big Data polls for saying he'd easily win in 2020...
     
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  8. GatorJMDZ

    GatorJMDZ gatorjack VIP Member

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    ABC/Disney did the nation and the media a huge disservice by settling that BS case. Trump was never going to sit for a 4 hour deposition.
    Something was "rotten in Denmark."

    This meeting might shed some light.

     
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  9. PITBOSS

    PITBOSS GC Hall of Fame

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    And early in the process. Probably more to it - a bribe/kiss the ring. Which is a bad precedent from our media. Maybe Walt Disney is looking at the bottom line and doesn’t want to get associated with a legal a knife fight how Trump is technically a rapist. Risk get cancelled by Dear Leader and his followers. Therefore WD throwing a few newsman and a little integrity under the bus is probably worth it for them.
     
  10. sierragator

    sierragator GC Hall of Fame

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    Just what we need: media that is loyal to dear leader at all costs.
     
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  11. ursidman

    ursidman VIP Member

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    Yep. Business decision - integrity weighs very little apparently. They probably well remember what a governor did to Disney World just for daring to express a contrary opinion.
     
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  12. gator_jo

    gator_jo GC Hall of Fame

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    True. Also, Jeff Bezos and WaPo did it first, of course.
     
  13. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    Newsflash: Petulant child acts accordingly.

    Serious question though. Is it an abuse of power if he doesnt have power yet?
     
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  14. wgbgator

    wgbgator Premium Member

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    The only kind of 'power' is political? Being able to use your amassed wealth to harass and intimidate the media is something other people have done, with some success. Peter Thiel killed Gawker back in the day over publishing the Hulk Hogan sex tape.
     
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  15. GatorJMDZ

    GatorJMDZ gatorjack VIP Member

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    He has everything but the title.
     
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  16. HeyItsMe

    HeyItsMe GC Hall of Fame

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    Trump is a snowflakey bitch, nothing new here. Such a pathetic little toddler.
     
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  17. GatorJMDZ

    GatorJMDZ gatorjack VIP Member

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    Judges need to start assessing costs against not only Trump, but also the attorneys involved in this BS. If there is no reasonable basis in law or fact to bring the actions, the attorneys should be referred to their bar associations for discipline.
     
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  18. vegasfox

    vegasfox GC Hall of Fame

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    That's not what they said. They were warning about mail-in ballots fraud.

    At one point Trafalgar said Trump was up by 2% in Pennsylvania but he might have to win by 5% to get past the margin of fraud needed to win the state.

    Rasmussen surveyed people who mailed in ballots and found that 20% of them committed fraud

    The Deep State colluded with social media to censor people who questioned the integrity of mail-in ballots.

    The election was rigged
    @RasmussenReports posted many examples of election fraud on X (Twitter)

    Without the fraud and rigging Trump would have won in 2020
     
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  19. VAg8r1

    VAg8r1 GC Hall of Fame

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    It's an obviously frivolous lawsuit and I don't expect the Des Moines Register and Ann Seltzer to fold like ABC. I suspect that Trump will drop the lawsuit as soon as he is deposed. His deposition in the E. Jean Carroll case didn't go over very well and my guess is that the Orange one probably doesn't want a repeat.
     
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  20. VAg8r1

    VAg8r1 GC Hall of Fame

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    I was actually thinking the same with respect to potential frivolous criminal cases that may be brought against Trump's "enemies" as retribution after he takes office. If Pam Bondi and Kash Patel not to mention line prosecutors at the DOJ try to prosecute Trump's perceived enemies who have done nothing wrong they should end up like Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell and our good friend Mike Nifong the former Durham County DA all of whom were subject to discipline by their respective state bars.
     
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