Using President Donald Trump as political fodder to advance his own agenda, California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit.
The liberal has targeted Fox News and host Jesse Watters with an eye-popping $787 million defamation claim.
Newsom’s suit mirrors the exact amount Fox paid to Dominion Voting Systems in 2023.
“If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump’s behalf, it should face consequences — just like it did in the Dominion case,” Newsom said.
“Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine,” he added.
It alleges the conservative network misled viewers on purpose about conversations between Newsom and President Trump regarding National Guard deployments during protests in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court, claims Fox News and Watters knowingly aired misleading information when they accused Newsom of lying about when he spoke with President Trump.
According to court documents, Fox News displayed a caption stating “Gavin Lied About Trump’s Call,” and Watters directly questioned the governor’s honesty on air.
The segment centered around President Trump’s remarks that he had spoken with Newsom on June 10.
Newsom denied it, leading to Fox’s accusation that the California governor was being dishonest.
The governor’s legal team alleges Fox deliberately concealed evidence that would have vindicated him.
Newsom’s legal team claims that President Trump provided screenshots showing calls from June 6-7, but the network manipulated the timeline to make it appear as though Newsom was lying.
The lawsuit contends Fox News edited out the president’s statement that the leaders had spoken “a day ago.”
The legal move represents the latest battlefront in the ongoing media war between conservative outlets and Democrat politicians.
Fox News, which settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million in April 2023 over election-related claims, now faces a strategically identical damage amount from Newsom.
The California governor’s legal team includes high-profile defamation attorney Mark Bankson.
Bankson is known for successful litigation against Alex Jones, signaling Newsom’s serious intent to push the case forward.
In what appears to be political maneuvering ahead of potential future ambitions, Newsom has pledged to donate any proceeds from the lawsuit to anti-Trump causes.
The governor is suing in his personal capacity rather than his official role, underscoring the political nature of this legal battle.
Newsom has offered to drop the lawsuit if Fox issues a formal retraction and Watters apologizes on air. So far, the network has shown no signs of backing down.
The context of the disputed calls involves protests in Los Angeles over President Trump’s deportation policies.
Newsom’s lawsuit claims Fox’s coverage violated California’s Unfair Competition Law and damaged his political standing.
Newsom’s attorneys did not mince words in their filing, taking direct aim at President Trump’s credibility.
“It is perhaps unsurprising that a near-octogenarian with a history of delusionary public statements and unhinged late-night social media screeds might confuse the dates,” Newsom’s lawyers wrote.
They added that “Fox’s decision to cover up for President Trump’s error cannot be so easily dismissed.”
As this legal battle unfolds, it adds another chapter to the contentious relationship between conservative media and Democrat politicians, particularly those who have positioned themselves as prominent Trump antagonists.
