WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was considering legal action against the New York Times, in his latest attack on a major media outlet.
Trump, on his Truth Social platform, blasted the New York Times’ coverage of his legal suit against CBS-owner Paramount, saying it “makes them liable for tortious interference, including in Elections, which we are intently studying.”
“Tortious interference” occurs when a contract or business relationship is intentionally damaged by another person’s actions.
The Paramount suit revolves around a pre-election interview last year by the CBS program “60 Minutes” with Trump’s Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, which he alleges was edited to remove an embarrassing response.
Multiple US media outlets have reported in recent days that Paramount leadership has approved plans to settle with Trump, to help win regulatory approval of the company’s sale to another firm.
In reporting on the potential settlement, outlets including the New York Times have said many legal analysts view Trump’s case as baseless, likely to be dismissed or fail under broad protections for freedom of the press.
“The case we have against 60 Minutes, CBS, and Paramount is a true WINNER,“ Trump said Wednesday.
“Despite all of the above… the Failing New York Times, which is Fake News both in writing and polling, claims that ‘people’ said that the case is baseless.”
“Nothing like this, the illegal creation of an answer for a Presidential Candidate, has ever been done before, they have to pay a price for it, and the Times should also be on the hook for their likely unlawful behavior,“ he said.
