Liberals Decry ABC News’ $15 Million Settlement with President-elect Donald Trump
A defamation settlement reached between President-elect Donald Trump and ABC News has drawn criticism from liberals across social media and on MSNBC. The news network paid $15 million to Trump in a lawsuit filed after host George Stephanopoulos claimed during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace that the president-elect was “found liable for rape”.
“This seems quite targeted, and I don’t think George Stephanopoulos was wrong,” said MSNBC host Symone Sanders, while Marc E. Elias, a Democratic election lawyer, accused ABC News of “bending the knee and kissing the ring”.
MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuade expressed her concerns about the settlement and its potential effects on criticism of Trump, stating: “A settlement is not an admission of liability, but an agreement to end the matter in the best interest of both parties”. She added: “And I worry about the chilling effect it might have on people who otherwise would be critical of Donald Trump.”
LA Times legal columnist Harry Litman attributed the decision to the timing, worrying that Trump, who soon will be President, has been “successful” in making the media “a little more circumspect” and claimed that some media outlets might be targeting him. Stephanopoulos initially claimed Trump was “found liable for rape” several times, legal experts confirmed.
According to the settlement, ABC News will also pay $1 million to Trump’s attorneys and is required to issue a “statement of regret” concerning the interview, which read: “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024”.
Others, such as Norm Eisen, a CNN legal analyst, argued that Stephanopoulos did not libel Trump and questioned whether he intentionally settled the suit.