In a particular case, Donald Trump‘s legal team is revisiting a tactic of his presidency: chasing anonymous sources.
Business Insider reported details of four depositions in which Trump’s lawyers questioned reporters about anonymous consultants who evaluated the Pulitzer Prizes awarded to the New York Times and the Washington Post.
These awards were given for documenting Trump’s ties to Russia, a point of contention for the former president.
Trump’s lawsuit, filed in December 2022 against the Pulitzer Prize committee, accuses him of defamation for honoring the two newspapers’ investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and its connections to the Trump campaign.
Trump labeled the cover-up as part of a “Russia collusion hoax,” despite findings by Robert Mueller and a U.S. Senate intelligence committee that identified numerous links between Russian efforts and the Trump campaign. The Pulitzer board’s refusal to revoke the awards, despite Trump’s requests, only fueled his legal fire.
The depositions, part of Trump’s broader legal strategy, highlight his ongoing battle against what he perceives as media bias and conspiracy.
Read also: Trump alleges unfair treatment in classified documents case: ‘If Biden isn’t charged…then I shouldn’t be charged’
Despite Trump’s claims, the Pulitzer committee maintained the integrity of its review process, saying subsequent events did not discredit the award-winning stories.
The board’s decision to conduct independent reviews, which affirmed the validity of New York Times and Washington Post reporting, remains a point of contention for Trump, who sees the lack of transparency about the auditors’ identities as problematic.
This lawsuit is just one aspect of Trump’s broader criticism of the media and its coverage of his administration’s alleged connections to Russia.
Now read: Trump lashed out at ‘dismayed’ comments threatening to allow Russia to attack ‘rogue’ NATO countries if elected: ‘Endangering America’s national security’
This content was partially produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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