President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney has requested that a federal judge proceed with his lawsuit against journalist Bob Woodward over audio recordings of interviews conducted for Woodward’s 2020 book. Woodward, a prominent journalist known for his Watergate reporting, is currently an associate editor at The Washington Post.
In November, Trump’s lawyers wrote in a letter to the judge:
The court is aware that President Trump is soon due to be inaugurated as the 47th President of these United States of America. The issue in this case, namely the unlicensed for-profit use of President Trump’s voice that was recorded in an unofficial interview, is both timely and ripe, for fear of further unaccounted for profit being made from the President’s voice. In addition, we trust that the Court can accommodate a discovery process that will cause minimal interference with the President’s impending obligations.
The case has stalled for months as the judge considers the defendants’ motion to dismiss, but recent moves reflect Trump’s growing resolve to challenge media outlets following his November presidential victory,
Trump’s attorney, Robert Garson, wrote in a letter sent Tuesday:
Since President Trump’s decisive victory and his upcoming inauguration as the 47th President of the United States, there has been a renewed accountability among those who violated his rights over the past four years.
Garson highlighted a recent settlement where ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos apologized and paid $15 million to resolve a defamation lawsuit.
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The letter continued:
President Trump is hopeful that the Defendants in this case follow Mr. Stephanopoulos’ expression of contrition.
This request follows a statement from Trump in which he announced plans to pursue further litigation against media figures he called “dishonest” during a Monday news conference from Mar-a-Lago.
Trump said:
I think you have to do it because they’re very dishonest. You need fair elections, you need borders and you need a fair press. I have a few others [lawsuits] that I’m doing. I’m not doing this because I want to, I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation to.
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Trump’s lawsuit against Woodward, Simon & Schuster, and its then-parent company, Paramount Global, was filed in January 2023. The suit claims that while Trump authorized Woodward to conduct the interviews and record them for his book, “Rage,” he did not grant permission for the sale of the audio recordings. Trump is seeking at least $49 million in damages.
The defendants have sought to have the lawsuit dismissed on various grounds, and their motion has been pending for over a year.
In Tuesday’s letter, Trump’s attorney emphasized the need to move forward with discovery in the case, stating:
President Trump is keen to advance this case, vindicate his rights, and ensure that future violations do not occur during his upcoming presidential term.
Similarly, the Presiden-elect filed a lawsuit against The Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer on Tuesday over a pre-Election Day poll showing Vice President Harris with an inflated lead in Iowa, calling the poll “brazen election interference.”
