An attorney for Donald Trump nominee Pete Hegseth reportedly sent warning letters to multiple media outlets regarding potential defamation lawsuits.
Just after ABC was reported to have agreed to give $15 million to Trump’s presidential library to resolve a defamation lawsuit, a move that was largely condemned by numerous experts, the New York Times dropped a report all about the Trump team's threats associated with other defamation allegations.
"The legal threats have arrived in various forms. One aired on CNN. Another came over the phone. More arrived in letters or emails," the report from Sunday reads. "All of them appeared aimed at intimidating news outlets and others who have criticized or questioned President-elect Donald J. Trump and his nominees to run the Pentagon and F.B.I."
ALSO READ: Here's what happens when the world's richest man buys the presidency
The Times goes on to argue that the "small flurry of threatened defamation lawsuits is the latest sign that the incoming Trump administration appears poised to do what it can to crack down on unfavorable media coverage."
"Before and after the election, Mr. Trump and his allies have discussed subpoenaing news organizations, prosecuting journalists and their sources, revoking networks’ broadcast licenses and eliminating funding for public radio and television," according to the report. "Actual or threatened libel lawsuits are another weapon at their disposal — and they are being deployed even before Mr. Trump moves back into the White House."
Experts say it can be more difficult for public figures to prove defamation, in part because of a higher legal bar in doing so, but that hasn't stopped Trump or his team from filing these suits and, in some cases, getting settlements.
The Times reports that the most recent example of such a victory, the ABC settlement, "set off criticism of ABC News by those who perceived the network as needlessly bowing down to Mr. Trump."
"And it led some legal and media experts to wonder whether the outcome would embolden Mr. Trump and others to intensify their assault on the media, at a moment when many news organizations are struggling with declining public trust and deteriorating finances," according to the outlet.
