1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:04,200 Speaker 1: President Donald Trump allegedly collaborated with Fox News to concoct 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: a story claiming a Democratic National Committee staffer was killed 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: in July of six in retaliation for leaking Hillary Clinton's 4 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: emails to wiki leaks. According to a lawsuit filed by 5 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: a private investigator for the slain man's family, Fox retracted 6 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 1: the story on May twenty three, but not before it 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: inflamed Clinton opponents and fueled conspiracy theories. Joining us to 8 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,639 Speaker 1: discuss this lawsuit is Bloomberg News Legal report Eric Lawson, 9 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: who co wrote the story for Bloomberg News. Eric explained 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: the story itself and how Trump allegedly was involved well. 11 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: The story suggested that the murder of twenty seven year 12 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 1: old Seth Ridge last year may have been planned by 13 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: the Democratic National Committee to punish him for leaking thousands 14 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: of emails to wiki leaks. Um this was a conspiracy 15 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: theory that was UH sort of popularized by Julian Assange, 16 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 1: the founder of Wiki leaks, last year in August, about 17 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: a month after that murder, and the story kind of 18 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,479 Speaker 1: died after that because it was seemed to be there 19 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 1: was no evidence, and the police in Washington, UH said 20 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: it was most likely a botched robbery and it's it 21 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: is unsolved at this point the murder. But there was 22 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: just no credence for this d n C murder story 23 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 1: until it came to life again. Um just around the time, 24 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: just after Director Comey was fired from the FBI and 25 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: the Russia probe was heating up again, and then out 26 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: of nowhere, Fox News publishes this story on May sixteen, 27 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:46,639 Speaker 1: um saying that an investigator for the deceased man's family 28 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: had found a sort of evidence that rich who was murdered, 29 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: had sent emails to Wiki leaks, and now this private 30 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: investigator says he never said that to Fox News, even 31 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: though he worked closely with Fox News on this worry. 32 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: He says they attributed fake quotes to him in that 33 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: story that were the basically the basis for the story, 34 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: and said that he never said that the story is 35 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: fake and it was all part of a plan with 36 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: Trump allegedly to distract from the Russia probe. So where 37 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: did he get or how does he attribute his knowledge 38 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: of the alleged Trump connection to the story. He says 39 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: that he received text messages from the people he was 40 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:32,519 Speaker 1: working with at Fox Uh saying that Trump had read 41 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 1: the story and that he wanted it out immediately, and 42 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: that was just in a few days before it was published. 43 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 1: So clearly they are alleging in this complaint extensive ties 44 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: between the White House, the administration, and Fox News in 45 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: the planning of this story, even the hiring of the investigator, 46 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: who later sued that it was all part of an 47 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: alleged plot to distract from the Russia probe and bring 48 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,359 Speaker 1: back to life this sort of zombie story about the 49 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: d n C murdering of former staffer. The first paragraph 50 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: of his complaint includes a screenshot of a May fourteenth 51 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: text message to him that reads, not to add any 52 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: more pressure, but the president just read the article. Who 53 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: wants the article out immediately? It's now all up to you. 54 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: But don't feel the pressure. Is there an allegation that 55 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: the President just read the story and wanted it out, 56 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 1: or or is there an allegation that he actually contributed 57 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: to the story. Well, there there's an allegation in the complaints, 58 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 1: and I should point out that Fox News completely denies this. 59 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: They did retract the story at the center of this 60 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: complaint a week after it went out, and they say 61 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: they're still investigating it internally. What exactly happened. But in 62 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: the complaint, it says that Fox News, when they one 63 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: confronted by this private investigator about these allegedly fake quotes 64 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: in the story, uh they He claims that he was 65 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: essentially told, well, this is the way that the President 66 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: wanted it. Now, why what are his the basis for 67 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: his lawsuit? The legal basis, Well, it's a defamation suit, 68 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: which is interesting. Um uh nor. He's claiming that his 69 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 1: reputation as a private investigator is pretty much ruined by 70 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: this whole fiasco. He's a former Washington homicide detective. Um, 71 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,159 Speaker 1: you know. He he's this is his job. And he 72 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 1: says that he's been ruined by the fact that Fox 73 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 1: News put out this this story with these quotes, retracted 74 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,160 Speaker 1: the story, but never bothered to attempt to exonerate him 75 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: by admitting that the the quotes were fake. And um, 76 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,600 Speaker 1: who is he suing? He's suing twenty one century Fox 77 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: and Fox News. He's also suing the reporter behind, the 78 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 1: investigative journalist behind the story. Her name is Malia Zimmerman, 79 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: and the gentleman who is a GOP fundraiser and businessman 80 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: who um allegedly coordinated this story named Ed Batowski. He's 81 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: in Texas. So we're just at the initial stages of this. 82 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: This is just the filing of the complaint. We haven't 83 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 1: heard anything from any of the participants about the There 84 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: words a general denial from Fox, but nothing in particular 85 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: that's correct. Um. We'll have to wait and see whether 86 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: where where the story goes. For all we know, they 87 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: might quickly settle and then we'll never get any discovery 88 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 1: out of this um. But one of my colleagues did 89 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: meet with the plaineiff's lawyer in this case just this morning, 90 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,360 Speaker 1: and he told me that he told him that there 91 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:39,279 Speaker 1: are recordings and you know involved here, phone conversations and 92 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: things like that. So they they're claiming that they do 93 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 1: have a lot of evidence here um to back up 94 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: their claims. They do have that text if it's if 95 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:50,720 Speaker 1: it can be proven. Thank you so much for being 96 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: here to explain this rather convoluted lawsuit. That's Eric Larson. 97 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,839 Speaker 1: He is a legal reporter for Bloomberg News.