Liberals across social media and on MSNBC are upset ABC News defamation settlement With President-elect Donald Trump, who filed a lawsuit against the outlet after host George Stephanopoulos claimed the president-elect was “found liable for rape” during a controversial interview with Rep. Nancy Mace.
“It seems to me that with this language, and this quote, ABC actually had a very strong case, but chose to settle. Settlement is not an admission of liability. It is instead an agreement to end the matter in the best interest of the company.” Both parties agree to issue this statement of regret, and it's not quite an apology, but I'm concerned about the impact it might have on others and the chilling effect it might have on people who might criticize Donald Trump. “,” MSNBC legal analyst Barbara McQuaid said during a discussion about the defamation settlement on Saturday.
ABC News and Stephanopoulos Reaching a settlement with Trump In his defamation suit on Saturday, which resulted in the news network paying the president-elect $15 million.
“I think the ABC board was involved in this decision in some way,” Los Angeles Times legal columnist Harry Litman said during an appearance on MSNBC on Saturday. “And what concerns me deeply is to put a finer point on what Barb is saying, which is that he is somehow involved in the fact that he is going to be president soon,” he added.
MSNBC guests worry that ABC's settlement with Trump will sway his critics in the media. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
“So, I hope we learn how the board influenced the legal room here. But given the timing, it's in a state of flux, and that's really troubling in terms of public confidence in the criminal justice system and confidence in the media. Who's left after the media?” Littman added. If the media tells the truth, it will come after them and make their lives miserable, and so far it has worked.”
“This seems completely targeted, and I don't think George Stephanopoulos was wrong. I'm sorry,” MSNBC host Symone Sanders said during a chat on the network Saturday.
Mark E. Elias, a Democratic election lawyer, accused ABC News of bending the knee and kissing the ring on compromise.
“The knee is bent. The ring is kissed. Another news outlet is choosing to obey,” he wrote on X.
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According to the settlement, ABC News will pay $15 million in charitable contributions to “a Presidential Foundation and Museum to be established by or for Plaintiff, as established by Presidents of the United States of America in the past.” In addition, the network will pay $1 million in Trump's attorney fees.
Stephanopoulos and ABC News were also to issue statements of “remorse” as a note to the editor at the bottom of the March 10, 2024, Online articleabout comments made earlier this year that prompted Trump to file the defamation suit. “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret the statements regarding President Donald J. Trump during an interview George Stephanopoulos conducted with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024,” the memo says.
Many liberals began posting on Bluesky, an app similar to Elon Musk's X, after the election. Norm Al-Hadid, legal “George Stephanopoulos did not defame Trump — and I very much doubt George is willing to compromise,” the CNN analyst wrote.
George Stephanopoulos speaks on ABC's “This Week.” (ABC/Paola Lobo via Getty Images)
Trump sues ABC NEWS and George Stephanopoulos for defamation
“First the Los Angeles Times, then the Washington Post, and now ABC News. They all fall into the hands of Donald Trump. When George Stephanopoulos said Trump 'raped' E. Jean Carroll, he was using the word colloquially. Trump was found liable for the charges Sexual Assault” Opinion USA Today The columnist wrote on Bluesky.
Justin Baragonaa former Daily Beast reporter who now writes for The Independent, wrote of Plosky, “This sets a troubling precedent.”
McQuade joined MSNBC's Ali Velshi to also discuss the settlement and said the fact that ABC News “surrendered” was troubling.
“But normally, in libel cases, you have to prove that the person has been defamed, that there was actual malice and that the gist of the story was not accurate. In addition, you have to prove that the person's reputation has been damaged in this way. It appears that the ABC had an argument So powerful here and yet I kind of gave up anyway, and I think that sends a bad signal to other media organizations, and it could have a chilling effect or a self-censorship effect on the media, as they cover it,” McQuaid said. “In the Trump administration, of course , A vibrant, free press is essential to any administration, especially one in which Donald Trump has vowed to go after his enemy.”
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Fox News' Gabriel Hayes and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
