WashingtoncTypeface:>US President-elect Donald Trump sued an Iowa newspaper and a polling firm behind a published incorrect prediction that Trump’s Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, would win in Iowa, charging them with election interference.
The move, reported widely by US media, is being seen as the latest warning shot to media organizations and journalists of what might be coming under a second Trump presidency. It follows the surprise settlement by a major news organization, ABC News, which agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster and moderator George Stephanopoulos.
In the Iowa lawsuit, filed on Monday, Trump accused the paper, its parent company Gannett and the respected pollster Ann Selzer and her firm of “brazen election interference” that he said was “intentional,” the US media reported. Selzer’s survey, which showed Harris ahead of Trump in a conservative state and released a few days before the vote, surprised many and caused a stir. It showed 47% of likely voters surveyed indicated they would vote for Harris, while 44% would cast their vote for Trump. Other surveys showed Trump ahead. He eventually won the state with a lead of around 13 percentage points. (DPA)
