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If the Jackboot Fits... [1]
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Date: 2023-01-10
Disgraced former president Himself is apparently insistent on getting his money’s worth out of attorney James Trusty, whose work on Himself’s Espionage Act case turned out to be worth somewhat south of $3 million, so Himself’s tacked on a little change order for Trusty: “Make CNN stop calling me Hitler.”
In a stunning display of constitutional ignorance, the alpha dog of the Right’s “free speech” baying hounds argues that the government needs to order CNN to stop comparing his words and actions with those of another failed dictator.
Jose Pagliery writes in a break-of-dawn Daily Beast post that Lawsuit Reveals Trump Can't Stand Being Compared to Hitler, a somewhat surprising revelation about the man who may have read no other book in his adult life than a collection of the Nazi leader’s speeches, a fellow who once complained to his chief of staff that “his” generals weren’t as loyal as Hitler’s.
Former president Self’s complaint arose from comparisons made on-air by CNN anchor Don Lemon of the Self administrations actions and policies and those of the Third Reich. Trusty avers in the filing that such comparisons “causes and did cause reputational harm,” while citing no harm caused by the alleged comparison.
“Some CNN’s audience members have been unjustly led to believe that [sic] plaintiff literally is a fascist leader,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. “CNN’s statements seriously attempt to falsely state that the plaintiff intentionally used a Nazi-like propaganda technique to preserve his political power.” However, they refused to explain why the allusion doesn’t hold up, noting in a footnote that “there is no case law requiring a plaintiff to plead facts that show why a false statement is, in fact, false.” They wrote that their original lawsuit “clearly states” Trump “is not Hitler-like nor would be Hitler-like in any future political role.”
Trusty further argues in the suit that Mr. Self’s complaint “provides a perfect vehicle for Supreme Court reexamination of Sullivan,” referring to the 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan, in which the Court ruled that the First Amendment protects the press from libel claims by public persons unless it publishes known false stories with malicious intent. Himself has long complained that the Sullivan ruling allows the press to report on his offenses.
Himself’s suit will, of course, be summarily dismissed. Suggesting that a former president who calls the press “the Enemy of the People,” and sent waves of thugs to disrupt the government so he could cling to power Hitlerian is safely within the boundaries set in cases like Sullivan and Westmoreland.
But hey, you have to admit, he’s getting his three mil worth out of Trusty.
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