Kash Patel, the Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, has filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against CNN and several of its top reporters.
The lawsuit claims that media network published false statements and promoted “unfounded left-wing political narratives” by painting Patel as a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist seeking to smear President-elect Joe Biden.
It claims CNN “deliberately or recklessly conveyed a false message” to sensationalise the “news” and humiliate Patel.
The suit includes several examples of what the plaintiffs say are defamatory statements, including, “Trump loyalist connected to Biden conspiracy theories is leading Pentagon transition;” “Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist, … was connected to efforts to spread conspiracy theories about Joe Biden;” Patel “has also worked to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election;” and “Defense Department transition office … is led by a Trump loyalist connected to efforts to spread conspiracy theories about the President-elect.”
According to reports, Patel’s attorney, Steven S. Biss, argued “publication of the Defamatory Statements is part of a general pattern of retaliation and discrimination against Kash” and “a larger conspiracy undertaken between 2018 and the present to discredit Kash through the publication of false statements and the promotion of unfounded left-wing political narratives.”
“CNN attacked Kash and published defamatory falsehoods about him because CNN was deeply invested in promoting the Russia collusion hoax and the fraudulent 'dossier' manufactured by Fusion GPS for the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee,” Biss wrote, adding, “Kash debunked CNN’s reporting… CNN’s latest brutal attack on Kash’s reputation in the Articles is a continuation of past smear campaigns to discredit Kash.”
Through the lawsuit, Patel and his attorneys are seeking presumed damages, actual damages, special damages and punitive damages as a result of the defendants’ statements and actions, according to the complaint.
He also wants a permanent injunction prohibiting CNN reporters from repeating the defamatory speech.
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