Trump files $475m defamation suit against CNN

NEW YORK — Former US president Donald Trump sued CNN for defamation on Monday, seeking $475 million in punitive damages and claiming the network had carried out a "campaign of libel and slander" against him.

Trump claims in his lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that CNN had used its considerable influence as a leading news organization to defeat him politically.

CNN declined to comment on the case, Reuters reported.

Trump, a Republican, claims in the 29-page lawsuit that CNN had a long track record of criticizing him but had ramped up its attacks in recent months because the network feared that he would run again for president in 2024.

"As a part of its concerted effort to tilt the political balance to the left, CNN has tried to taint the Plaintiff with a series of ever-more scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of 'racist,' 'Russian lackey,' 'insurrectionist,' and ultimately 'Hitler,'" the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit comes as the 76-year-old former president faces considerable legal woes, including a criminal investigation by the US Justice Department for retaining government records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office in January 2021.

Trump was sued last month by New York state Attorney General Letitia James, who has accused him of lying to banks and insurers over the value of his assets.

Trump, who requested a jury trial, had a caustic relationship with CNN and other major news outlets like The New York Times during his term, branding them "fake news" and repeatedly raging against them on social media.

In a statement on Monday, Trump suggested that similar lawsuits would be filed against other news organizations. And he said he may also bring "appropriate action" against the House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.

The lawsuit comes as he is weighing a potential bid for the presidency in 2024.

CNN chief Chris Licht privately urged his journalists in a meeting more than three months ago to refrain from using provocative phrasing about Trump because it is too close to Democratic efforts to brand the former president, according to several published reports.

Agencies Via Xinhua