President-elect Trump’s lawyer requested a federal decide to maneuver alongside his lawsuit towards journalist Bob Woodward over revealed audio tapes of interviews the famed Watergate reporter carried out with Trump for a 2020 ebook.
The case has stalled for months because the decide weighs the defendants’ bid to dismiss the lawsuit, however the sudden exercise comes as Trump mounts a extra emboldened posture in scrutinizing media retailers within the wake of his November presidential victory.
“Since President Trump’s decisive victory resulting him being due to become the 47th President of the United States, there has been a renewed accountability among those who violated his rights over the last four years,” Trump lawyer Robert Garson wrote in Tuesday’s letter.
Garson went on to notice how ABC Information and anchor George Stephanopoulos on Saturday apologized and paid $15 million towards Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit.
“President Trump is hopeful that the Defendants in this case follow Mr. Stephanopoulos’ expression of contrition,” the letter reads.
The request additionally comes a day after Trump advised reporters he was planning to pursue additional litigation towards individuals in media he feels have handled him unfairly.
The previous president sued The Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer on Tuesday over a ballot launched simply earlier than Election Day indicating Vice President Harris had a sizable lead in Iowa.
Trump sued Woodward in January 2023 after giving him 19 interviews for his ebook, “Rage.”
The lawsuit concedes Trump gave the interviews and permitted Woodward to report them, however the grievance claims the journalist and his writer weren’t approved to promote the audio recordings themselves.
The lawsuit names Wooward, Simon & Schuster and its then-parent firm, Paramount World, as defendants. Trump is searching for not less than $49 million in damages.
Woodward, recognized for his reporting on the Watergate scandal that introduced down Richard Nixon’s presidency, is right this moment an affiliate editor at The Washington Publish.
Representatives for the Publish and Simon and Schuster didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
The defendants have moved to dismiss Trump’s lawsuit on numerous grounds, and their movement has remained pending for a yr.
The decide has paused discovery pending decision of that movement, however Trump’s lawyer within the new letter stated “the time has come to revisit the problem of discovery.
“President Trump is keen to advance this case, vindicate his rights and ensure that future violations do not occur during his upcoming presidential term,” the letter states.
