Hello, everyone; welcome back! We have some intriguing news today. A federal judge in Florida denied a dismissal request for a defamation lawsuit filed against ABC and its anchor, George Stephanopoulos, by former President Trump, allowing the case to move forward. This lawsuit came about due to Stephanopoulos’ comments in March, where he inaccurately said that Trump had been found “liable for rape” in a civil case brought against him.
Judge Cecilia Altonaga, who is presiding over the case in Miami, indicated that a jury could possibly find enough context surrounding the remarks. Furthermore, she stated that a reasonable jury might conclude that Trump was defamed. Thus, she ruled that dismissing the case at this early stage would be improper.
Trump celebrated this ruling on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling it a significant victory over what he termed “ABC fake news” and George Stephanopoulos. He further implied that this decision could lay the groundwork for making news outlets more honest in their reporting.
JUST IN: A Florida judge ruled against ABC’s attempt to dismiss a defamation lawsuit from President Donald Trump.
George Stephanopoulos, during a heated exchange, falsely claimed Trump was found “liable for r*pe.”
“You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two… pic.twitter.com/7Ttmh1xnzF
— Hank ™ (@HANKonX) July 25, 2024
For some context, Stephanopoulos made these comments during a tense conversation with Republican Representative Nancy Mace on his Sunday program “This Week”, back in March. The discussion centered around Mace’s endorsement of Donald Trump, following a video clip of Mace discussing her experience as a rape victim.
Although the jury determined that Trump was liable for “sexual abuse,” not rape, Stephanopoulos repeated his claim ten times during the passionate discussion. The anchor later remained unapologetic about the lawsuit in a subsequent appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
In other related news, just days before this ruling, Trump hinted at his reluctance to participate in a scheduled presidential debate with President Biden. Instead, he suggested that alternative platforms should host future debates. Following Biden’s unexpected departure from the presidential race and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, formal letters proposing a debate in September were sent out to both the Trump and Harris campaigns.
“My debate with Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the history of the United States, was slated to be broadcast on Fake News ABC, the home of George Slopadopolus, sometime in September. Now that Joe has, not surprisingly, has quit the race, I think the Debate, with whomever the Radical Left Democrats choose, should be held on FoxNews, rather than very biased ABC. Thank you!” Trump posted on Sunday.
🚨 JUST IN: Kamala Harris says she’s “ready to debate” President Trump, but REFUSES to commit to the Fox debate
She’s only agreeing to the ABC “Debate” so that Clinton operative George Stephanopolous can run cover for her
Go figure. She’s pathetic. pic.twitter.com/hkJn95l70W
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 25, 2024
The letters, signed by the organizational President and Vice President of Politics, communicated their intention to host the debate in Pennsylvania on September 17, coinciding with early voting in key battleground states. They also expressed flexibility on the exact date, format, and location of the debate.
