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For all of the curiosity in big-name witnesses and eye-opening non-public textual content messages, on the core of the defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems in opposition to Fox Information are 20 particular broadcasts and tweets during which the voting firm says Fox knowingly promoted lies, destroying its popularity.
In keeping with the lawsuit, all 20 statements occurred between November 8, 2020, and January 26, 2021, and got here within the type of on-air feedback from Fox hosts Jeanine Pirro, Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo; interviews with outstanding pro-Trump election deniers Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell; and several other of Dobbs’ tweets.
The wild allegations within the statements fell into 4 broad classes: that Dominion carried out election fraud, that it used algorithms to flip votes, that it had ties to Venezuela and that politicians acquired kickbacks to make use of the corporate.
The choose overseeing the defamation trial has already ruled that these allegations were false, saying it’s “CRYSTAL clear that not one of the Statements referring to Dominion in regards to the 2020 election are true.”
At trial, it is going to be a jury’s job to find out if the statements have been made with “actual malice” – a excessive bar primarily based on realizing falseness or having a reckless disregard for the reality – and doubtlessly award damages. Dominion has requested for $1.6 billion in damages and extra punitive damages, a quantity Fox says is wildly overblown.
Fox has denied wrongdoing and mentioned the case is a meritless assault on press freedoms. Legal professionals for Fox have argued that Dominion hasn’t come near clearing the excessive bar to show defamation.
Right here’s a more in-depth take a look at these 20 particular broadcasts and tweets of alleged defamation.
The printed: “Sunday Morning Futures” on November 8, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud and algorithm flips.
Key false quote: “Sidney, we talked in regards to the Dominion software program. I do know that there have been voting irregularities. Inform me about that,” Bartiromo mentioned.
“That’s to place it mildly. The pc glitches couldn’t and mustn’t have occurred in any respect,” Powell mentioned. “That’s the place the fraud occurred the place they have been flipping votes within the laptop system or including votes that didn’t exist.”
The printed: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on November 12, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud and Venezuela ties.
Key false quote: “So, we’re utilizing a international firm that’s owned by Venezuelans who’re near – have been near (Hugo) Chávez, at the moment are near (Nicolás) Maduro, have a historical past. They have been based as an organization to repair elections, they’ve a horrible file, and they’re extraordinarily hackable,” Giuliani mentioned.
The printed: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on November 13, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties, kickbacks.
Key false quote: “Let’s begin with Dominion, a straight out disavowal of any declare of fraud in opposition to the corporate, its software program or machines. Your response,” Dobbs requested.
“Properly, I can hardly wait to place forth all of the proof we’ve collected on Dominion, beginning with the very fact it was created to supply altered voting leads to Venezuela for Hugo Chavez after which shipped internationally to control votes for buy in different nations, together with this one,” Powell mentioned.
“We additionally want to have a look at and we’re starting to gather proof on the monetary pursuits of among the governors and Secretaries of State who truly purchased into the Dominion Programs … to line their very own pockets by getting a voting machine in that may both make certain their election was profitable or they obtained cash for his or her household from it,” she added.
“Properly, that’s simple,” Dobbs mentioned. “You’re going to need to be fast to undergo and to supply that investigation and the outcomes of it.”
The printed: Quote-tweet by Dobbs of Giuliani tweet on November 14, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties.
Key false quote: “Do you know a international firm, DOMINION, was counting our vote in Michigan, Arizona and Georgia and different states,” Giuliani wrote.
“Learn all about Dominion and Smartmatic voting corporations and also you’ll quickly perceive how pervasive this Democrat electoral fraud is, and why there’s no approach on the earth the 2020 Presidential election was both free or honest. #MAGA @realDonaldTrump #AmericaFirst #Dobbs,” Dobbs wrote.
The printed: “Justice with Decide Jeanine” on November 14, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties.
Key false quote: “It was created for the specific function of with the ability to alter votes and safe the reelection of Hugo Chavez after which Maduro. They’ve used it in Argentina,” Powell mentioned. “There may be an American citizen who has exported it to different nations and it’s one enormous, enormous prison conspiracy that ought to be investigated by army intelligence for its nationwide safety implications.”
“Sure. And hopefully the Division of Justice, however who is aware of anymore,” Pirro mentioned.
Broadcast 6: Bartiromo previews interview with Powell and Giuliani
The printed: “Fox & Associates Sunday” on November 15, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties, kickbacks.
Key false quote: “Sidney Powell can be speaking about potential kickbacks that authorities officers, who have been requested to make use of Dominion, truly additionally loved advantages to their households,” Bartiromo mentioned. “We’re going to speak about that developing as effectively.”
Broadcast 7: Bartiromo interviews Giuliani and Powell
The printed: “Sunday Morning Futures” on November 15, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties, kickbacks.
Key false quote: “Now we have sworn witness testimony of why the software program was designed. It was designed to rig elections … Now we have a lot proof, I really feel prefer it’s coming in via a fireplace hose,” Powell mentioned.
“Wow,” Bartiromo mentioned.
The printed: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on November 16, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties.
Key false quote: “I’ve simply gotten some gorgeous proof from a firsthand witness, a high-ranking army officer, who was current when Smartmatic was designed in a approach that – and I’m going to only learn to you a few of these statements, for those who don’t thoughts, so I get them precisely proper,” Powell mentioned.
“Certain,” Dobbs mentioned.
Powell continued, “From the affidavit, (Smartmatic was) ‘designed in a approach that the system may change the vote of every voter with out being detected.’”
Powell additionally incorrectly claimed that Smartmatic owns Dominion.
The printed: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on November 18, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties.
Key false quote: “However I imply simply the mere proven fact that we’ve a international nation, we had this out of the country, carried out by buddies of an enemy of the USA, Maduro, is outrageous and has to cease instantly,” Giuliani mentioned.
“It’s outrageous,” Dobbs mentioned.
The printed: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on November 19, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties.
Key false quote: “Let me put it this fashion, there are millions of folks in federal prisons on far much less proof of prison conduct than we’ve already in opposition to the Smartmatic and Dominion Programs corporations,” Powell mentioned.
The printed: “Justice with Decide Jeanine” on November 21, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties.
Key false quote: “The President’s attorneys alleging an organization known as Dominion, which they are saying began in Venezuela with Cuban cash, and with the help of Smartmatic software program, a backdoor is able to flipping votes,” Pirro mentioned.
The printed: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on November 24, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties.
Key false quote: “We’re simply persevering with to be inundated by proof of all of the frauds right here and each method and technique of fraud you possibly can presumably consider,” Powell mentioned.
“I feel many Individuals have given no thought to electoral fraud that may be perpetrated via digital voting; that’s, these machines, these digital voting corporations, together with Dominion, prominently Dominion, not less than within the suspicions of a variety of Individuals,” Dobbs mentioned.
The printed: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on November 30, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, kickbacks.
Key false quote: “Completely different states shaved totally different quantities of votes, or the system was set as much as shave and flip totally different votes in numerous states,” Powell mentioned. “Some folks have been focused as particular person candidates. It’s actually probably the most large and historic egregious fraud the world has ever seen.”
The printed: “Hannity” on November 30, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud and algorithm flips.
Key false quote: “The machine ran an algorithm that shaved votes from Trump and awarded them to Biden,” Powell mentioned. “They used the machines to trash massive batches of votes that ought to have been awarded to President Trump. And so they used a machine to inject and add large portions of votes for Mr. Biden.”
The printed: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on December 4, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud and algorithm flips.
Key false quote: “Dominion Voting Programs, you have got described it with algorithms which have been designed to be inaccurate slightly than to be a safe system,” Dobbs mentioned.
“Give us your sense of who’s driving all of this,” Dobbs requested Phil Waldron, a Trump supporter who labored with Powell and others to unfold conspiracy theories in regards to the 2020 election.
The printed: Dobbs tweet with embedded doc on December 10, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud and algorithm flips.
Key false quote: “The 2020 Election is a cyber Pearl Harbor,” Dobbs wrote, embedding a doc.
“Now we have technical shows that show there’s an embedded controller in each Dominion machine, that enables an election supervisor to maneuver votes from one candidate to a different,” the doc acknowledged.
The printed: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on December 10, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud, algorithm flips, Venezuela ties.
Key false quote: “Let me make you a proposal, very straightforwardly,” Dobbs mentioned. “We’ll gladly put ahead your proof that helps your declare that this was a Cyber Pearl Harbor. Now we have great proof already … of fraud on this election, however I can be glad to place ahead on this broadcast no matter proof you have got, and we’ll be glad to do it instantly.”
The printed: Dobbs tweet with embedded video of Powell interview on December 10, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud.
Key false quote: “Cyber Pearl Harbor: @SidneyPowell1 reveals groundbreaking new proof indicating our Presidential election got here beneath large cyber-attack orchestrated with the assistance of Dominion, Smartmatic, and international adversaries. #MAGA #AmericaFirst #Dobbs,” Dobbs wrote.
The printed: “Fox & Associates” with hosts Will Cain, Pete Hegseth and Rachel Campos-Duffy on December 12, 2020.
What they alleged: Election fraud.
Key false quote: “Now we have a machine, the Dominion machine, that’s as stuffed with holes as Swiss cheese and was developed to steal elections, and getting used within the states which might be concerned,” Giuliani mentioned.
The printed: “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on January 26, 2021.
What they alleged: Election fraud.
Key false quote: “Each outlet within the nation, they go, ‘Mike Lindell, there’s no proof, and he’s making fraudulent statements.’ No. I’ve the proof. I dare folks to place it on. I dare Dominion to sue me as a result of then it’s going to get out sooner. So, that is – , they don’t – they don’t need to discuss it,” Lindell mentioned.
“No, they don’t,” Carlson mentioned.