Rupert Murdoch went under oath early this Thursday as part of two days of previously announced questioning in defamation litigation filed by Dominion Voting Systems, the election technology company that for some reason became a primary subject of pro-Trump conspiracy theories about non-existent election fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Trump, of course, still stands by his past lies about that election, and a few other prominent GOP figures, like failed candidate for governor of Arizona Kari Lake, are also sticking with the lie of widespread election fraud, but no remotely reasonable evidence of systematic election fraud has suddenly fallen from the sky. Depending on what Dominion is able to gather in the discovery process, in which relevant info is shared among and collected by the parties to a lawsuit, the company could prove Fox helped spread lies about the elections firm despite knowing the claims to be false or with reckless disregard for the truth, according to the relevant legal standards defining that mode of action. Sean Hannity, the Fox host, already claimed under oath in a deposition for Dominion that he never actually believed what were evidently the claims of a stolen election — so why did he approvingly host Sidney Powell, who infamously deceived Americans?
A Delaware judge reportedly approved that Dominion’s legal challenges over defamation against Fox News and its parent company Fox Corp be merged, and the Fox entities will be facing trial according to the current schedule this April. Dominion and Smartmatic, another maligned elections technology company, also still have lawsuits ongoing against others involved in pushing lies after the 2020 presidential election, including Mike Lindell and Rudy Giuliani, the latter of whom was already suspended from practicing law in New York and Washington, D.C., and could face longer-lasting consequences in the latter jurisdiction depending on the outcome of attorney discipline proceedings connected to his involvement in propagating false claims of election fraud.
Others who have already answered questions for Dominion include two other members of the Murdoch family and Suzanne Scott, the CEO of Fox News. “From the highest levels down, Fox knowingly spread lies about Dominion, causing enormous and irreparable damage,” a Dominion spokesperson said, according to Law&Crime. “Instead of acting responsibly and showing remorse, Fox instead has doubled down by publicly stating that they are proud of their Dominion-related coverage. We’re focused on holding Fox accountable and are confident the truth will ultimately prevail.”
