President Donald Trump scored a partial legal victory on Tuesday when a federal judge allowed his defamation lawsuit against the BBC to move forward, rejecting the British broadcaster's bid to have the case dismissed.
US District Judge Jeffrey T. Kuntz ruled that Trump's defamation claim can proceed, though he dismissed a separate claim brought under a Florida consumer protection law. Trump has accused the BBC of deceptively editing a documentary to make it appear that he was inciting violence when he told supporters to march on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He is seeking at least $5 billion on the defamation claim. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the ruling "A Huge Victory."
The case had already delivered Trump a setback last month, when a magistrate judge ordered him to give a deposition by December 11 after the BBC argued he was avoiding sworn testimony.
Separately, the White House moved on Tuesday to replace one of Trump's judicial nominees in a last-minute effort to reshape a key appeals court. The administration withdrew the nomination of Arkansas-based US District Judge Lee Rudofsky to the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals and instead nominated Arkansas Supreme Court Justice J. Cody Hiland, after opposition from Republican senators cast doubt on Rudofsky's confirmation prospects. The White House and Senate Republicans are racing to confirm as many judges as possible before Democrats take control of the Senate in January, after winning at least 54 seats in the November 3 midterm elections.
Trump also said this week that the war in Iran is "effectively over," a comment that helped push oil prices higher on Wednesday, with Brent crude trading near $92 a barrel and US crude above $86. He added that the United States remains "locked and loaded" if circumstances change, and said renewed military action was unlikely if Iran made progress in talks over its nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Sources: Malay Mail, The Economic Times, Associated Press.
Post a Comment