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A new tranche of court filings in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation case against Fox News over claims of fraud involving its machines following the 2020 election opened late Tuesday, amid more comments from high-ranking Fox News personalities and officials. With the case expanding on previous documents raising doubts on the theory of forgery, he also pushed it to the wind.

important facts

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The court filing includes dozens of exhibits, along with text messages, emails and other information collected from Fox employees ahead of an anticipated trial in April, as Dominion continues to pursue fraud theories involving its machines at Fox News, despite them being false. Was accused.

In a text message sent on November 17, 2020, anchor Tucker Carlson said, “Sydney Powell is lying,” referring to the far-right lawyer who primarily spreads Dominion fraud claims, calling them Says “f-seeking b-titch”.

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Carlson, who is now under investigation for undermining Jan. 6 and continuing to sow doubt in the 2020 election, also told his staff about Trump, “I hate him passionately,” and Jan. 2021 “We’re very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights… I really can’t wait,” she said in the text message.

Carlson said of Trump in a text message sent in January 2021, “What he is good at is destroying things … He is the undisputed world champion.”

In other text messages sent to an unknown recipient, Carlson asked if there was “real evidence of significant voter fraud”, to which the person replied that “didn’t amount to swinging the election to Biden” and Carlson replied, “Yes. All true.”

Carlson also said that Dominion’s “software s—t is absurd,” Powell said, “was driving everybody mad and insane, including me,” and Powell himself said in a text message on November 17, 2020, ” If you don’t have conclusive evidence of fraud on that scale, it is a cruel and reckless thing to keep saying.

Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch suggested to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott on January 21, 2021, following the inauguration of President Joe Biden, “Maybe Sean [Hannity] and laura [Ingraham] went too far in its post-election coverage, saying Fox was “still slinging mud at us” for its coverage and asking whether it was “inevitable that the high profile Fox Voices fed the story that the election had been stolen and that January 6 was a crucial chance to overturn the result.

Scott described far-right lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s claims of fraud involving Dominion as “terrible stuff hurting everybody” in a November 19 email to Murdoch, to which Murdoch replied, yes scene and even [Jeanine] Piro agrees.

Murdoch too It has been told Trump appears “increasingly paranoid” in an email following the 2020 election, in which Giuliani is “encouraging … and misleading him.”

chief critic

Fox News has heavily contested Dominion's allegations, defending the network's statements about election fraud by reporting on newsworthy events protected under the First Amendment. The network has accused Dominion of "cherry-picking" its evidence in court filings, and said in a statement Tuesday night that the newly released demo shows "Dominion using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign." has been caught red handed doing so atrociously attacks Fox News and the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but at the highest levels of our company But twisting quotes is really beyond pale.

what to watch

The trial in the Dominion Fox News case is set to begin in Delaware state court on April 17, assuming no settlement or judgment is reached before then. Both sides have filed a request for summary judgment, meaning the judge in the case will issue a ruling rather than hold a hearing, and a hearing will be held on March 21 to determine whether that will happen. Dominion is asking Fox to pay $1.6 billion in damages if the network is found to have defamed the voting company, requiring the court to accuse Fox of acting with "actual malice" and lying about Dominion's machines. would need to make claims knowing they were untrue. A second defamation suit against Fox News is still pending from rival voting company Smartmatic, which a judge ruled in February could proceed and is seeking $2.7 billion in damages.

main background

Dominion sued Fox in March 2021, alleging that the right-wing network pushed the fraud claims for their own gain and to boost viewership, despite knowing that what they were saying was false. Was. The case has gained steam in recent weeks in light of court filings suggesting that the Fox hosts knew the fraud claims they were making were false, with statements in previous filings such as Carlson telling Powell called the claims "crazy" and Fox Corporation executive Raj Shah described the theory. as a "mind-blowing lunatic". Excerpts from Murdoch's testimony were also released in which the Fox Corp. chairman said he did not believe the claims of election fraud, but he also did not stop those denying the election from appearing on the network. Murdoch testified, "I would like us to be stronger looking back on this."

news peg

The new Dominion filing comes as Carlson came under widespread scrutiny after his show Monday night, in which he touted the January 6 footage obtained from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and used it to downplay the attack. Did. Carlson alleged that "the video record does not support the claim that 6 January was an insurrection," comparing the rioters to peaceful "bystanders". He also continued to sow doubt over the 2020 election results, claiming, "It is clear that the 2020 election was a grave betrayal of American democracy." (There is no credible evidence to support claims of widespread election fraud.) Carlson's comments also drew widespread opposition from Republicans, with Capitol Police Chief Thomas Munger calling the Fox host's coverage "outrageous and false" and the Senate minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R- Ky.) is saying he "wants[s] To associate myself completely with Manger's statement". Carlson hit back at his critics during his show Tuesday night, saying GOP senators who protested his Jan. 6 coverage had let him down[d] myself" and "were telling such blatant lies and demanding censorship."

'Mind blowingly nuts': Fox News hosts and executives repeatedly denounced 2020 election fraud off-air—here are their sharpest comments (Forbes)

Tucker Carlson doubles down on 2020 election fraud claims with January 6 footage despite Fox defamation lawsuit (Forbes)

Fox unlikely to settle with Dominion over poll lie, experts say (Forbes)

Murdoch admits Fox News hosts made false election fraud claims (Forbes)

Tucker Carlson blasts McConnell and GOP senators for their criticism of Jan. 6. Tape: 'The Illusion of Favoritism' (Forbes)