(AFP) – US President Donald Trump on Monday dropped a federal lawsuit over an Iowa poll that wrongly forecast he would lose the midwestern state in November’s election, but refiled it in a state court. A lawyer for Trump informed a federal court in Iowa that the president was seeking dismissal of the case against renowned pollster Ann Selzer, her former employer the Des Moines Register, and the newspaper’s parent company, Gannett.
No reason was given for the decision, but the suit was refiled just hours later in an Iowa district court. The Des Moines Register noted that Trump’s move comes a day before a new law takes effect in Iowa that could have harmed the president’s case. The law, which does not apply to lawsuits filed before Tuesday, is intended to curb cases that threaten an expensive legal fight and intimidate a news organization, the newspaper said.
“The Des Moines Register will continue to resist President Trump’s litigation gamesmanship and believes that regardless of the forum it will be successful in defending its rights under the First Amendment,” Des Moines Register spokesperson Lark-Marie Anton said in a statement.
The unusual lawsuit stemmed from a poll published just days before the 2024 general election that showed Trump trailing Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by three points in Iowa, where the Republican had scored easy victories in 2016 and 2020. Trump went on to win Iowa by 13 points.
In his lawsuit, Trump accuses Selzer and her co-defendants of “brazen election interference.” The Iowa lawsuit had been criticized by a number of press rights groups as an attack on the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press.
The original suit was filed just days after ABC News settled claims by Trump of defamation, in which the outlet agreed to pay $15 million to a future presidential museum and foundation, and an additional $1 million for Trump’s legal fees. ABC News faced criticism over settling the case, which revolved around language used while reporting sexual assault allegations against Trump, with several legal scholars arguing the outlet would have likely prevailed in court.
Trump has made attacks on the media a hallmark of his political identity since his rise to power, describing the press as “corrupt” and the “enemy of the people.”
© 2024 AFP
