Legal professionals for the voting machine firm on the centre of Donald Trump’s election conspiracy theories have demanded {that a} string of rightwing information retailers retract claims they’ve made in regards to the firm in current weeks.
A authorized agency working for Dominion Voting Methods has written to Fox Information, two different rightwing networks — One America Information Community and Newsmax — and the Epoch Occasions newspaper, insisting all of them retract allegations concerning the corporate’s function in final month’s election.
The attorneys additionally despatched particular person letters to a few of America’s most well-known conservative presenters, together with Rush Limbaugh, the rightwing radio presenter, and three Fox Information hosts: Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo.
The 21 letters, seen by the Monetary Occasions, type a part of an aggressive pushback by Dominion, which the president and his allies have accused, with out proof, of being a part of an enormous conspiracy to steal the election from him and ship victory to his opponent Joe Biden.
Within the letter to Fox Information, the attorneys wrote: “We demand that Fox challenge a retraction to clarify that there’s merely no proof to assist the conspiracy theories that proceed to smear the corporate’s good identify.”
John Poulos, Dominion’s chief govt, stated on Wednesday that he anticipated to file authorized motion towards among the president’s allies sooner or later.
Mr Poulos told CNN on Thursday: “We did ship a letter to a number of completely different individuals which were spreading lies and defamatory remarks since election day on numerous completely different platforms.”
He added: “We totally count on that none of them will probably be retracting their statements, so it forces our hand to file motion.”
Fox and Newsmax didn’t touch upon Dominion’s letters. OANN replied to
the corporate’s letters with a authorized letter of its personal, however didn’t tackle any of Dominion’s complaints straight.
The Epoch Occasions and Mr Limbaugh didn’t instantly reply to a request to remark.
Dominion’s attorneys have focused their preliminary litigation at Sidney Powell, a lawyer who has helped unfold accusations that Hugo Chávez, the late Venezuelan chief, was behind a scheme to plant defective voting machines throughout the US. Mr Poulos on Thursday referred to as her “essentially the most egregious and prolific purveyor of those lies”.
The corporate’s attorneys have additionally written to Pat Cipollone, the White Home counsel, and Rudy Giuliani, the president’s private lawyer, warning them to protect any paperwork that might be related to a lawsuit.
The White Home declined to remark. Neither Ms Powell nor Mr Giuliani responded to a request to take action.
Tom Clare, considered one of Dominion’s attorneys, told the Daily Beast earlier this week he anticipated to file “a number of litigation issues” in January.
Smartmatic, one other voting machine firm that has been the topic of accusations by Trump allies, has additionally threatened authorized motion towards Fox Information, Newsmax and One America Information Community. The corporate demanded the channels retract accusations that the corporate had conspired to repair the election for Mr Biden.
Following that menace, each Fox Information and Newsmax aired segments debunking the claims. Fox broadcast an interview during which Eddie Perez, director of the Open Supply Election Know-how Institute, was questioned in regards to the claims by a voice from off-camera. Mr Perez then defined intimately why the allegations have been unfaithful.
Mr Trump’s claims of an enormous election fraud have been rejected by a number of organisations, together with his personal authorities’s cyber safety company, in addition to in court docket. William Barr stated simply earlier than stepping down as US attorney-general this week that there was no reason to grab voting machines or appoint a particular counsel to look into voter fraud.
The president reportedly thought of giving Ms Powell a task on the White Home to research electoral malpractice however is claimed to have since gone chilly on the thought.
