Washington According to a copy of the complaint seen by NBC News, Donald Trump is suing Ann Selzer, her polling company, The Des Moines Register, and the parent company of the newspaper, Gannett, alleging consumer fraud.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed Monday night in Polk County, Iowa, it aims to hold people accountable for blatantly interfering with an election that showed Kamala Harris leading by three percentage points in Iowa on November 2.
Trump’s attorneys claim in the lawsuit that the fact that he won the state by double digits is election-interfering fiction. The assertion is being made by the president-elect in accordance with the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which forbids misleading advertising.
This is what I’m doing because I feel obligated to. Speaking about the lawsuit on Monday, Trump stated, “I’m going to be bringing one against the people in Iowa, their newspaper, which had a very, very good pollster who got me right all the time, and then just before the election, she said I was going to lose by 3 or 4 points.”
Following the election, Selzer declared that she will quit participating in political polling and pursue other endeavors.
Experts in media law were doubtful that the lawsuit would be successful.
Although there is little to no chance of success here, Clay Calvert, a media law specialist and professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, stated that prevailing in court is probably not the true objective of this case. “The real goal is to scare journalists and the media. Regretfully, I believe that this litigation is merely a sign of things to come.
According to the lawsuit, the manipulated Harris Poll misled millions of Americans, including the plaintiff, Iowans, and those who donated to President Trump’s Campaign and its affiliated organizations (the Trump 2024 Campaign). The polling error was not an unexpected coincidence; rather, it was deliberate.
It challenges Selzer’s standing as a reliable pollster, claiming that the polling error that gave Harris an Iowa lead that never materialized was done to influence the outcome of the election. According to the lawsuit, Selzer has a history of trying to sway political contests in favor of Democrats and her extensive platform presents “a significant and impactful opportunity to deceive voters.”
The lawsuit is the most recent front in Trump’s fight against what he sees as unfair media and analyst coverage.
Over the weekend, Trump was able to get $15 million from ABC News and $1 million for his legal bills in a defamation dispute.
Rick Hasen, a UCLA School of Law expert in election law, dismissed the case right away.
On his blog, he stated, “I don’t expect this lawsuit to go anywhere,”
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