Gavin Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million over Defamatory Coverage
TL/DR –
California Governor Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for defamation and demands $787 million in monetary damages. This follows Fox’s coverage of a phone call Newsom had with President Donald Trump, which Newsom alleges was deceptively edited to make it appear as though he lied about deploying National Guard troops during protests in Los Angeles. Newsom states he will dismiss the lawsuit if Fox retracts its claim and issues a formal on-air apology, while Fox News labels the lawsuit as frivolous and plans to have it dismissed.
California Governor Sues Fox News Over Defamatory Coverage
California Governor Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for alleged defamation arising from its coverage of his phone call with President Donald Trump.
Newsom’s lawsuit, filed last Friday, alleges that Fox News manipulated footage to falsely claim that he lied about Trump’s call regarding the deployment of National Guard troops during L.A. protests. The governor seeks $787 million in damages, mirroring Fox’s 2023 settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over a similar issue.
“I’m suing Fox News for $787 million. No more lies,” Newsom stated in a recent post.
According to Newsom’s lawyer, he will drop the lawsuit contingent on Fox News retracting its allegations, and if anchor Jesse Watters and Fox News issue a formal on-air apology.
Countering this, Fox News has labeled the lawsuit as “frivolous” with plans to seek its dismissal. “We will defend this case vigorously,” a Fox News spokesperson reaffirmed.
Newsom earlier urged, “Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine.” This comes after Trump used a federal statute to seize control of the California National Guard amidst protests related to his administration’s stance on immigration.
Newsom maintains that the call logs Trump provided to Fox News, allegedly proving that he had called about the guards, were manipulated. During their last call on June 7, Newsom insists that neither the protests nor the National Guard were discussed.
Trump however, claimed in a press conference on June 10 that he had spoken to Newsom “a day ago”. Newsom refutes, “There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn’t even know who he’s talking to.”
The lawsuit accuses Fox News presenter John Roberts and anchor Jesse Watters of intentionally altering the timeline and editing clips of President Trump’s Oval Office statement to claim Newsom lied about the call.
“Fox’s decision to cover up for President Trump’s error cannot be so easily dismissed,” reads the lawsuit.
The lawsuit and threat letter can be viewed below:
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